


Aurix

by Celebrimbor1999



Series: Aurix [1]
Category: Winx Club
Genre: Adventure, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, F/M, Families of Choice, Family Feels, Gen, How Do I Tag, New Fairy, Overprotective Big Brother, Post Season 6, Protective Big Brother Riven, Reluctant Apprenticeship, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:13:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 30,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25028296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celebrimbor1999/pseuds/Celebrimbor1999
Summary: Set after the events of Season Six.Riven is trying to forget about Musa, focusing only on his training and his position as a Professor at Red Fountain. Unfortunately, his personality hasn’t improved, and very few students willingly come to him for training due to his extraordinarily high standards. Headmaster Saladin decides to assign him a student to act as their mentor, a student who has shown great promise in swordsmanship.What Saladin didn’t tell him, was that this student was a girl.As if that wasn’t enough, a new threat appears calling the Winx and their Specialists back into action – a threat that risks the destruction of all magic.TL;DR: After S6, with the assistance of his reluctantly accepted apprentice and new Red Fountain student, Riven must help the Winx and his squad protect the Magical Dimensions… again.
Relationships: Bloom/Sky (Winx Club), Brandon/Stella (Winx Club), Flora/Helia (Winx Club), Helia & Original Female Character, Musa/Riven (Winx Club), Riven & Original Female Character, Tecna/Timmy (Winx Club)
Series: Aurix [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1892938
Comments: 4
Kudos: 30





	1. Regarding Riven's Teaching Skills (Or Lack Thereof)

“You’re an incredibly talented warrior Riven,” Professor Saladin began once Riven sat down, “But you are not good at training others to become the same.”

This was the third time Riven had been called into the Headmaster’s office to discuss his teaching ability. It was only three weeks into the new academic year.

The first time, Professor Saladin encouraged him to be more understanding towards the students who went to him for extra training, who were struggling with a form or wanted to learn from a warrior known for helping save the Magical Dimensions – “Your skills are worlds ahead of the students you teach Riven, and they will have difficulty keeping up with you. You need to exhibit some level of patience with them, or they will never be able to learn from you.”

The second time, Professor Saladin told him about an informal ‘fight club’, as none of the students had called it, that had been formed – “Students claim to be learning more from each other than they do from _one on one training_ with you, Riven. They say that is given the choice between taking lessons with you, or cleaning out the dragon stables, most students would _volunteer_ for dung duty. _No one_ volunteers for dung duty.”

Riven had just scoffed. Each year, the freshmen seemed to be getting softer and softer. They couldn’t comprehend the simplest of instructions. They were insulted by the softest of criticisms. The simplest weapon forms seemed beyond them. And don’t even get him started on his Tactics and Strategies class – his only regular academic class for seniors that he covered once a week – the students refused to talk! He would ask them questions and they would just sit there, dumb and silent.

Interpreting his scoff correctly, Professor Saladin continued, “You were the best strategist in your graduating class. Your swordsmanship is second only to Sky. You have so much knowledge and experience that your students would benefit greatly from, but you seem incapable of _sharing_ it.” He leaned forward with fingers steepled. “I want you to remain a teacher at Red Fountain Riven, but if you do not show me that you are willing to _try_ and fix your attitude, then I will have to let you go.”

He couldn’t believe it. “What?! You would kick me out of your school because a couple of kids can’t handle my classes?”

“I would remove you from teaching because when the entire _cohort_ was asked who the worst teacher they ever had was, _almost every single one of them_ agreed that it was you.”

Riven stood with such force that his chair went flying. “You can’t get rid of me!”

Professor Saladin stood in response. “I don’t _want_ to get rid of you Riven. You have so much potential as a teacher, and so much to _learn_ as one. You just don’t have the patience or attitude to _realise_ it.”

He was starting to panic. _I don’t want to leave Red Fountain._ It was his home, the one place he felt truly safe. As much as he hated to admit it, leaving his squad, _his family…_ it would be easier and less painful to pull out his heart. And after losing Musa – after letting her go, and not trying hard enough, and – He couldn’t lose anyone else. He couldn’t lose this too.

With a wave of his hand, Professor Saladin sat back down. Riven retrieved his chair.

“I am going to give you one last chance to improve. If you do not succeed in the given task by the end of the school year, you will no longer be a part of Red Fountain.”

Riven swallowed painfully. “What do I have to do?”

The smile on Professor Saladin’s face, if looked at in a certain life, could be considered pleased. To Riven, it looked positively sinister, and made his stomach sink to his toes. “There is _one_ student in Red Fountain who doesn’t see you as the worst teacher. They will be assigned to you as your protégée – they’ve shown great promise in swordsmanship, can be quite a crafty thinker when they put their mind to it, and indeed, they remind me a little of you in your first year. You are going to act as their mentor, tutoring them in any classes they have difficulty in, things like that. I would advise working on an accelerated course in weapons handling. Of course, you can ask your squad for assistance in their respective areas of expertise, but _you_ are to be their main trainer.

“Your ability as a teacher will be proven at the end of year exams – I expect your student to achieve suitably high marks, given that they will have a year of one on one training – and I will also construct an extra credit challenge course that they _must_ complete. If they do not, your tenure here will be terminated. If they succeed, I will see about reassigning you to your classes, unless you wish to continue training your student into their sophomore year.”

Biting down the urge to scowl, Riven nodded. “Fine. Who’s the student?” At least he’s getting someone who is essentially a blank slate – fewer ingrained bad habits to deal with.

Professor Saladin’s smile widened. “They are a freshman from Ventus Institute. You have leave to train them however you see fit – they had a, how to put it… _unusual_ training experience at Ventus, so they may be a little behind on some things.”

Riven snatched the proffered file with a curse. An unusual training experience, huh? So they won’t even have the very basics under their belt yet! He wanted a blank slate, not a slate that hadn’t even been _made_ yet! He’ll have to practically hold their hands through weapons maintenance, physical training – all the things students are meant to know _before_ they come to Red Fountain. And they’re mean to have _potential?_ They probably can’t even hold their sword the right way round!

“Oh, by the way, your student is also mute – if you can also get them talking consistently by the exams, if they pass, you’ll only get the best senior students next year.”

The subsequent cursing was loud and foul enough to scare a bird into flight, shock two freshmen into dropping their books, and make Helia look up to the sky in resignation.

“They’re waiting for you in Training Room Four – that will be yours to use for the year. Good luck!”

_This is going to be GREAT._

***********************

Riven tried his best to twist his face into a less terrifying scowl. No use scaring off his new student before they’ve even started training. Their file was still in his hand – he hadn’t looked at it yet. A student’s ability was better realised when experienced through a sparring session rather than notes on a page. Especially when it came to students from the Ventus Institute.

Ventus Institute was arguably one of the best schools for warriors in the Magical Dimension. Located in a mountain range on the planet Auris, Ventus prided itself on creating exceptional soldiers. The planet’s infantry was often spoken of in reverent tones, their archers were said to never miss their targets, and their skill at dragon wrangling made their mounted cavalry the envy of the Magical Dimension. Every year, five of their sophomore students were chosen by Saladin to complete their training at Red Fountain. They would leave as foot soldiers and return as Generals. However, because of the Institutes’ reputation, many of the students had an ego the size of Magix and an inflated sense of their own skill. Riven can remember breaking the arm of a Ventus student back in his first year – he was picking on Timmy because he preferred to hone his technological talents over his physical. Very few people accepted his hand-to-hand challenges after that.

But coming back to the current issue, it was very likely that Riven was going to be stuck with an egotistical, under skilled bigot of a student for a year – and the _unusual training_ thing just stunk of entitlement.

Grumbling under his breathe, Riven pushed open the door to Training Room Four. It was one of the smaller rooms, designed mainly for teachers to maintain their skills, but there was enough space for both him and his student.

A student who was currently facing away from him, running though some of the katas of Form I: Shii-Cho. They weren’t doing _too_ horribly, Riven admitted to himself. Their footwork as a little off – Cordata sometimes forgot to take the slighter build of his students into account when demonstrating forms – and they would need to put more power into their swings if they wanted to do any kind of serious damage, but those were small issues, easily fixed. From behind, they reminded him a little of Helia before he cut all his hair off. Pin straight black hair fell from a low ponytail to reach just past their hips. They obviously hadn’t had their growth spurt yet, given the narrow shoulders and the fact that they probably wouldn’t have reached his chin in height, but that would come in time. Helia was a twig when he started at Red Fountain but look at him now and you’d never think it.

And then the boy turned around.

It wasn’t a boy.

“ _SALADIN!!”_

The Headmaster looked up with a serene face even as Riven barged into his office mere minutes after leaving. “Is everything alright Riven? You look like you’ve had a shock.”

“What is _this?!”_

_This_ was the girl he had just dragged across the school by her wrist ( _her very thin wrist),_ practise phantosaber, or bokken, in hand. Bright purple eyes looked between Riven and Professor Saladin under a black fringe.

“Hello Celeste,” Professor Saladin said kindly. “I see that you’ve met your new mentor.”

The girl – _Celeste_ – slowly nodded. She didn’t look entirely pleased by the situation.

“Is this a joke?!” Riven shook the girl’s arm, ignoring the way it seemed to shake the rest of her, and said, “Since when were _girls_ invited to train at Red Fountain?”

“Celeste is a special case, and I owed the Ventus Headmaster a favour. I assure you; she is more than capable of meeting expectations – I wouldn’t have allowed her to attend if she couldn’t.”

“I don’t care how good she is, she is still a _she!”_

“ _Celeste_ ,” Professor Saladin emphasised, “Currently holds the highest marks in her grade in the geographical surveillance exercise, was the quickest person in her grade to correctly demonstrate the first three katas of Form I, and has been recommended for further training by the Headmaster of an esteemed Institute. She has every right to be here. If you do not think yourself capable of being professional and training her, you can hand in your resignation right now.”

Riven spluttered for a moment. It was bad enough that he was going to have to _mentor_ someone, but he had to mentor a _girl?_ A girl who was…

“You said that she was mute! How can a _mute girl_ learn how to be a Specialist?”

Professor Saladin shrugged. “You are going to have to figure out the best way to communicate between the two of you. Just because you are a teacher now, does not mean you stop learning. Unless Celeste has any objections, you will train her or you will hand in your resignation.”

Two sets of eyes turned to the girl. Holding the bokken at parade rest with the tip against the floor and both hands on the hilt, she stared uncertainly between the two men. Riven’s hand was still wrapped around her arm, and he let it go with a scoff.

“Celeste? This is your choice – it does not change your situation at Red Fountain. No matter what, you will be trained.”

Riven stared at the stupefied girl who was going to decide his continued existence at Red Fountain. _Is she going to say yes? Why would she? Who is in their right mind would consent to being taught by_ me?

********************

Celeste’s morning wasn’t going the way she expected it to. She’d overheard stories in the halls about Professor Riven’s temper, but she’d never expected to see it for herself!

Professor Codatorta had sent her to Training Room Four this morning rather than assigning her a sparring partner – “You’re being given to one of the new teachers to train.” When one of her classmates (and wasn’t that a funny thought, _her_ having classmates), the Professor had growled at them.

“This is a punishment for the teacher, not the student. Or would you rather take her place as Professor Riven’s apprentice?”

The class went deathly silent then. None of them wanted one on one lessons with the scariest teacher at Red Fountain.

Said teacher wasn’t in the room when she got there, so Celeste took the chance to start practising her form. The _bokken_ felt good in her hand – so much better than the broken ones she was allowed to touch at the Institute. Even if, technically, she wasn’t meant to be touching them either.

Celeste didn’t _technically_ exist in the Institute.

(Be quiet. Don’t let anyone hear you. Don’t let anyone see you. If anyone tries to catch you, run. Don’t take anything that might be missed. If anyone but Headmaster sees you, you’ll be _banished)_

(And _banished_ means that you’ll never see me again)

She was one of those weird secrets. As long as no one had _proof_ that she existed, Celeste could do anything she wanted, including living in a school where only boys were allowed to learn how to fight.

But now she was at Red Fountain, where she was _encouraged_ to fight, and got in trouble if she _wasn’t_ seen at certain times, and _isn’t_ allowed in the kitchen, because if she wants food, she can get it from the dining room three times a day like everybody else.

It was a bit of an adjustment period, not just for her, but everyone else at the school. Most of the students ignored her, which was fine. Some of them picked on her a little – making fun of her behind the teacher’s back, _accidently_ missing their target during blaster practise and hitting her instead, chasing her down the halls to help her _practise her evasion_ – but they were tiny things. She could deal with them. It was easy enough to dodge a stray blaster shot. No one followed her when she jumped over the third-floor balcony, so that was an escape when she needed it. A couple of the students who chased her broke into her room once to mess up her things, but she had so little to mess up that they didn’t actually _do_ anything, so that was fine.

The hardest thing for her to get used to was walking down the halls in broad daylight, rather than sneaking down them in the shadows. Celeste had never realised how pale she was until she stepped out into the sun one day with her sleeves up and almost blinded herself. The sun could be so bright, it was overwhelming.

None of the teachers were too worried about her not talking – if they really needed an answer, she’d type it on her tablet and show them. Professor Codatorta didn’t even need that. He seemed to be able to take one look at her and immediately know what she was thinking – it was disconcerting to be seen so clearly. 

But back to Professor Riven.

Celeste had been so focused on making sure she got the kata right that she hadn’t noticed Professor Riven coming into the room. When she turned around, he looked so _angry._ Apparently, it wasn’t because she was using a bokken without permission, like she thought, but because Professor Saladin hadn’t told him that she was a girl.

Professor Codatorta was right. This was a punishment for the teacher. And if she didn’t say yes to being taught by him, he was going to leave. She didn’t know what _terminated_ meant, but she recognised _resignation._ It meant leaving something you didn’t want to leave, like when Professor Da-Vid was kicked out of the Institute. If Professor Riven didn’t teach her, he wasn’t going to be teaching _anyone._

Not many students wanted to work with the temperamental professor – many of them complained about how harsh Professor Riven was, how he _busted their arses,_ and has _obnoxiously high standards,_ and _would never give a compliment._

He sounded a lot like Headmaster.

Celeste bowed deeply to Professor Saladin, because that’s how you showed you respected someone, by letting them see your back and trusting they won’t hurt you for it, before holding her bokken out to Professor Riven, hilt first. She had to communicate her choice somehow, right?

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Celeste couldn’t help but smile. _I’m going to be trained!_

********************

Riven stared at the proffered bokken in disbelief.

Professor Saladin, for his part, looked too amused for Riven’s liking. “I believe Celeste is consenting to being trained by you.”

With a scoff, Riven pushed against the sword, ignoring the twist of guilt he felt when it impacted with the girls’ stomach. “Don’t go just throwing away your weapon, you idiot.”

She looked at him for a moment, as if committing the words to memory, before giving him a nod so deep it was almost a bow. Riven inhaled deeply before he said anything – Ventus Institute was a very old-fashioned school of training, and gestures of respect such as bowing and scraping were commonplace there. He’d just have to train it out of her, just like every other bad habit she probably picked up.

“Well, you two should go and discuss your schedule – Riven, I have sent you Celeste’s timetable regarding the classes she still needs to take, but you are responsible for the rest.”

After that dismissal, Riven stalked out of the office with the girl hot on his heels. He didn’t say a word until they reached the relative safety of Training Room Four – _their_ training room. On the way he scanned her schedule. He scoffed. _Schedule_ wasn’t the best word for it, more like _checklist._ The only classes he didn’t need to cover was Politics and Information Technologies. Every physical class was his responsibility, along with War History and Tactics and Strategies. To be fair, his area of expertise was strategy, and War History was an easy enough class – all you had to do was memorise a few dates, write an essay about when this war happened or why that king killed this king, and you were golden. An attached note said that the curriculum for both classes would be sent to him, and that he would need to ensure his student had enough time to do her theoretical coursework on top of whatever homework he assigned.

_His student. Her._

How had he not seen her before now? Classes started _three weeks ago._ He had covered _two_ freshmen War History classes for a sick teacher in that time. Surely, he would have noticed a _girl_ in the class.

(He didn’t)

In the centre of the training room, Riven pulled out a bokken of his own. “Professor Saladin says you have potential – prove it!” With a lunge, their duel began.

Out of all the sword forms Red Fountain taught, Riven preferred Form V: Djem-Sho. It combined Forms II and III into an aggressive style that merged defence and offence into a terrifyingly well-rounded whole. It best suited his ‘attack is the best defence’ attitude without leaving him open to counter-attacks. Admittedly, it could be a confronting form, and definitely not something a freshman would have fought against before.

The girl was blocking admirably. She had obviously been practising her Form I katas, but some of the tighter, faster movements resembled the Form III defence some of the sophomores had been trained in earlier in the week. Her dodging skills were well developed, avoiding more attacks than she blocked, which given her slighter form, was probably the best idea. She was built for speed, rather than strength. However, she continued to give up ground, Riven backing her around the room. He struck only at every second opening she left in her defence, not wanting to call an end to his test _too_ soon.

After some time though, Riven grew annoyed. “Don’t you know how to attack? Or can you only walk _backwards?”_ He snarled, halting his advance. They were back where they’d started, the girl panting lightly in the centre of the room. With both arms outstretched, he sneered, “C’mon, show me that _potential_ Professor Saladin thinks you have.”

Something in the girl’s face twisted. His first thought was _anger –_ that’s what most students felt when he goaded them like this. But when she didn’t strike immediately, he waved the hand not holding a sword.

“Are you just going to stand there all day? Fight!”

A second later she lunged into an underarm strike, and as he parried, it hit him. That wasn’t anger – it was _hesitation._

Then he noticed something else.

Her attack form was _so_ much worse than her defence.

That’s all Riven could think about as he parried the, honestly, _pathetic_ attempt of an advance. The girl was tentative in her attacks and slow at taking advantage of any (purposeful) slips in his guard. _A **fairy** could fight better than this!_

“I thought you were a _warrior!”_ Riven goaded, “Is this all the Ventus Institute can do? Defend themselves well enough to run away?” He parried another half-hearted blow before launching into a flurry of attacks.

The girl defended herself desperately, feet slipping on the training mats, but Riven wasn’t going easy on her this time. He locked her bokken with his own, pressing her wrist against her chest at a painful angle, and with his other hand he begun to poke her in the forehead with one finger. “Look at that! You can’t even defend yourself from a _finger!”_

It only took two more pokes before the girl released a soundless snarl and _moved._

With surprising force, the two bokken were twisted and pushed against Riven’s chest, driving him back far enough for her to swerve down and under his guard, snapping a bruising kick at the back of his knee. Clearly she was trying to knock him off-balance, following it up with an elbow to his stomach. Riven recovered quickly, landing a sharp hit across the girls’ shoulder as she slid past him.

It wasn’t until Riven’s face almost met the floor that he realised – that lapse in judgement was _deliberate._

The girl only came to Riven’s collarbone. When she slipped past him, she was far enough under his guard to slide her bokken between his legs and twist, forcing his supporting leg forward and putting enough pressure on his other knee to make him move it unless he wants to risk a fractured knee cap. As he stumbled, she elbowed him in the spine. It would have been a perfect move if she’d pressed her advantage, but instead the girl moved back and allowed him to recover.

Riven cursed even as he smirked. _Celeste_ wasn’t one to be underestimated. At least, not when she was riled. He ignored the tiny voice in the back of his head (which sounded a little like Musa) that compared her to a younger him – both so full of rage and dangerous when unleashed.

The spar lasted a little while longer, Riven landing some hits that even made him wince in sympathy, and the girl catching another lucky shot along his ribs. “Alright, alright, stop!” Riven held up his hand and watched, surprised, as the girl froze in place, bokken still overhead, ready for a strike.

_That is some impressive control._

“We’re done for now; you can put your sword down.”

Nothing. Just a wary stare and an even tighter grip.

Riven growled and tried again, dropping his own weapon. “I said stop, we’re done!”

The girl blinked and brought her bokken down to parade rest.

“Alright, so you’re not a _total_ loss,” Riven admitted grudgingly. “You’ve still got a long way to go, and you need to learn how to _attack,_ not just _defend.”_ He paused to see if she would say anything and had to force down a wave of anger when she didn’t. “You get the rest of the day off to do your coursework – I’ll send you your updated schedule later.”

When she didn’t move, Riven waved a hand, “You’re dismissed.”

The girl bowed, put her bokken back on the wall, and left.

Riven looked down at his own weapon and sighed. “ _That_ was interesting.

Outside, Celeste was thinking the same thing.

*************

_At first, all Celeste could see were shadows. Shadows of trees, shadows of grass, shadows of a river that once wound freely through the forest, now frozen in time. Her hands (but not her hands) came into view holding a rusted key._

_Her mouth twitched into a pleased smile – all sharp edges and subtle warnings. It wasn’t a nice smile (it wasn’t her smile)_

_A voice too deep to possibly belong to her spoke. “Finally.”_


	2. Meeting Riven's Common Sense (AKA Helia)

_Things definitely were interesting._

Riven was quite proud to say that he only made two freshmen faint this week – and neither of them were his student.

The first student hadn’t been looking where he was going and running in the halls – when the freshman collided with him, all Riven had to do stare in silent contempt. As soon as their eyes met, the student whimpered, went white, and collapsed. Thankfully, the rest of his squad came around the corner and took him to the infirmary so Riven didn’t have to deal with it. The girl had looked _wary_ when he walked into their training room that Monday morning with a smirk. Obviously, she had paid attention to all the stories about him. _When Professor Riven smiles, you RUN._

(Which begs the question of why she agreed to be trained by him but Riven would prefer _not_ to poke at that wasp’s nest. No use tempting fate).

The second time was only two days later, occurring a mere three minutes ago. His student had just been soundly defeated in the arena training match and Riven went for a walk rather than immediately meet her at the training room. He was well aware of his temper – if he went to talk to the girl _now,_ there would be less talking and more injury. A senior who he had attempted to give solo training to the year before walked around the corner, saw him, and immediately had flashbacks to that one, disastrous training session.

His collapse was more dramatic than the first student – with eyes rolling back in his head, the student fainted over the balcony headfirst. Riven had to lunge forward and catch him by the feet, narrowly avoiding cracking the stupid kids’ head open on the wall below. It was the work of moment to get the senior back on solid ground, but the second his eyes opened and saw _the worst professor at Red Fountain_ he squeaked and fainted once more.

Riven was just contemplating whether it counted as three fainting students or two if one of them did it twice when Codatorta appeared.

The muscled man shook his head. “What did this one do to ya this time?”

“He didn’t do anything,” Riven began, but at the scary look in his fellow Professor’s eyes, he hastened to add – “He fainted when he saw me. Almost took a header over the balcony. If anything, it’s a good thing I was here or he wouldn’t be breathing right now.”

Codatorta hummed. “If you weren’t here, he probably wouldn’ta fainted. You’ve still got a scary look on your face laddie.”

Riven quickly tried to school his features into a look of disinterest. The deadpan look on Codatorta’s face told him that he probably hadn’t achieved it. So instead, Riven shrugged. “Not like I don’t have a reason for it.”

“Aye. Your student had her first practise bout today.”

Riven huffed. Like Codatorta didn’t notice – he was the one officiating the matches for magics sake! “So you saw how she did. Or rather, how she _didn’t.”_

Codatorta knelt by the still unconscious student and peeled back one eye. “Eh, he’ll be right.” Sitting back on his haunches, the professor pinned Riven with a stare. “Now listen to me – I understand that you’re frustrated a lil’ with your student. I didn’t want ‘er to be here at first either. Girl looked more like she needed a months’ worth of meals on a sunny beach somewhere, not an immediate enrolment and catchup course at a battle school. But as Saladin showed me, there’s more to being a hero than physical strength or how many duels you win. You can be undefeated in every arena, but that won’t make ya a hero. Do you know what a hero is, Riven?”

He scoffed, “Of course I do. A hero is someone who can be looked up to. They protect others. But no amount of _heart,”_ And Riven’s face screwed up like saying the word physically pained him, “Can make up for ability. And _she_ doesn’t have the ability.”

Shaking his head, Codatorta stood up with the unconscious student slung over one shoulder. “You’ll be surprised Riven. Remember, I had the same doubts as you – that girl turned ‘em around. And you know how often that happens.”

Riven swallowed. Of course, he knows. The last person to successfully change Codatorta’s opinion of them was _him._

Codatorta waved him off, even as he began to walk in the other direction. “Go teach your student Riven.”

He bit down a retort and walked away. Indeed, he needed to have some _words_ with his student.

********************

The girl was working on her katas’ when Riven stepped into the training room. She didn’t seem to register his presence. He took the uninterrupted moment to watch her from the doorway, trying to puzzle it out.

As loathe as he was to admit it, the girl had skill. Riven only had to show her a kata two or three times before she could replicate it, requiring minute changes to her footwork and form. When practising against the training dummy, her hits were precise and forceful. They had already been through one dummy when she managed to knock the head off and send it through the open window.

(He still couldn’t think of that incident without a smirk – the flying head bounced off one student and onto another, sending both of them into the ground with stunned looks on their faces. The surrounding students were terrified when they looked up and saw Riven leaning out of the window, laughing uproariously. Celeste hadn’t found it as funny.)

So in the training room, Riven could see the girls potential. That potential wasn’t apparent in the arena.

Riven took advantage in a pause in the girls’ practise to move forward and grab her attention, “Put down your bokken. We need to have a chat.”

The scared look on her face would have amused Riven at any other time – now it was just a reminder of how she looked when she _failed._ Her movements were slow and precise as she placed the bokken carefully on the wall, carefully stepping close enough to him to talk comfortably, but just far enough out of his arm range in case she needed to make a quick getaway.

(He didn’t want to think about how, or where, she’d picked up _that_ habit)

“So,” Riven began with arms crossed, “How do you think you did today?”

The girl made a face – eyes squished, mouth turned down – as she fisted both hands with thumbs out and down.

“Yeah, you did crap.” Riven wasn’t one to mince his words. “What the hell was that? You do fine in here – why can’t you fight out _there?!”_

Another face. Her eyes flickered to the side where her tablet rested.

Riven scoffed. “Yeah, get your tablet. Can’t wait to see what excuse you’ve got for me this time.”

When she didn’t move, Riven fought the urge to shake her. “What, do you need an engraved invitation? Explain to me why you failed today!”

Yes, he knew he was being an arsehole. But who knew that an inability to have a normal conversation could be so _frustrating?_

The girl shrugged, before remembering herself and giving another one of those bow/nods.

Obviously he wasn’t going to be getting anything else from her. Dealing with a student who couldn’t, or just refused, to talk was both draining and infuriating. “Just – go and do your coursework. Tomorrow, you’ll be training against _me.”_

The implied _and you’re not going to like it_ made the girl pale (or at least, lose what little blood she had in her face) before she walked quickly out the door, snatching up her tablet on the way. The last thing Riven saw before the door closed was an obscene hand gesture – when he rushed out to _really_ give it to her for disrespecting her teacher, the girl was gone.

The window down the hall – facing _outside_ Red Fountain – was open.

***************

Celeste was _fuming._ She liked that word. _Fuming._ It made her think of the kettle in the Institute kitchen, steaming and boiling under her careful eye as she made sure to remove it from the heat before it could start screeching. Her lips formed the word, repeating it even as her throat refused to make a sound. Yes, Celeste was fuming.

With silent feet, she slipped down the outside of the hovering school and climbed in through a lower window. She ignored the way three sophmores gaped at her as they walked down the hall – the smell of coffee was strong, and the bags under their eyes said a lot. They were more likely to brush off her strange behaviour as a hallucination, if they even remembered it once they were coherent. She was intent on making her way to one of the quiet courtyards where she could _fume_ in peace.

Despite Professor Riven’s order to the contrary, Celeste didn’t feel like reading about Solarian military strategy or Ancestral Witches or hundred-year wars. She missed the way she could read about _interesting_ things in the Institute’s library, like that book about ancient societies that she was never going to finish, or that one about Linphea’s development of watercolours after increased trade with Andros complete with replications of famous art pieces, or even the Bestiary, a complete compendium of creatures that can be found in the Magical Dimensions. It was a strange feeling, missing a place that she had wanted to escape for so long.

It was odd, longing for solitude and silence and peace when all she’d ever wanted was companionship and conversation and excitement. Longing for serenity over this frustration that bubbled up inside her – a supernova of annoyance and fear and worry and _more fear._ Despite most students being in class, the press of their _presence_ made her skin itch. 

She needed her courtyard.

Not long after she’d arrived at Red Fountain – partway through the summer holidays, while all the students were at home – Celeste had found the tucked away courtyard on the outskirts of the school proper and claimed it for herself. There were enough trees to be a comforting reminder of the Institute, but also a lot of sunlight, which she’d never experienced in such large amounts before. The courtyard was walled in on both sides by supply sheds and faced outwards over the edge of the school grounds. Sandy coloured stones formed the ground, cut around the protruding roots that formed natural benches. Most of the trees were clustered by the entrance. She had never seen another soul there. It was perfect for her to relax, or practise, or _unwind_ without an audience. Just as Celeste liked it.

Except for today.

Celeste watched, hidden in the shadow of a tree, as a young man with shoulder length blue/grey hair sat drawing in a book. Following his gaze, whenever it looked up, she brightened.

Arget had come back!

The silvery-blue bird was preening his feathers, ruffling through the length of his tail and causing vibrant purples and blues to catch the light. There was something insubstantial about him – perhaps the way every feather floated on a breeze that touched nothing else, or how sometimes the green eyes of his tail couldn’t be distinguished from the green of the surrounding leaves. There was danger shining as brightly as his beauty, found in the silver-sharp talons and beak.

He was a wind phoenix – a protective spirit native to Aurais – and Celeste’s companion for as long as she could remember. He had accompanied her on her first adventures through the mountain range, comforted her with his song whenever the loneliness became too much, let her shelter under his wings when the nightmares came.

When he finished with his tail, Arget looked up at her and warbled a greeting. He spiralled into nothingness like fading smoke. Seconds later, a breeze wrapped around her like a hug. _Hello. You’re here. I’m here._

The young man didn’t move from his seat on a particularly large tree root, so Celeste decided to move closer. From her new vantage point, she could just see the half-finished drawing on the page, and something in her chest felt heavy. If she hadn’t shown up, Arget probably would have stayed still. He could be incredibly vain sometimes – he’d sat for enough of her amateur portraits before. And this man’s art was incredible! Arget looked like he was about to fly off the page, even uncoloured and unfinished.

She moved to step forward and paused. What if he was like her classmates – teasing her and mocking her over the failed match, sly remarks about how of course a _girl_ wasn’t going to be able to win. Or maybe he’d be like Professor Riven, angry and disappointed with that _face_ that made her feel so small, she’d never felt so _tiny_ before –

Arget let out a reassuring trill even as he reformed on her shoulders. The man spun around with impressive speed, hand fisting around his pencil as if in readiness to throw. He relaxed the moment he noticed her. “Oh, hello.”

Celeste gave a tentative smile with lips that didn’t want to move. Her hand moved enough to give a jerky wave.

“I’m sorry if I startled you,” The man continued, “But I didn’t think anyone else knew of this place. You’re welcome to sit with me.” He patted the root beside him.

Stepping quickly around outstretched legs, Celeste took a seat some distance away – close enough to see and talk, but just far enough that if he turned out to be _bad news_ she’d have enough time to get away. Arget settled on her lap easily enough, soothed the moment her fingers began carding through his feathers.

The man nodded towards the bird. “I have never seen such a bird before. Does he belong to you?”

Celeste shook her head – Arget belonged to no one – before pausing and nodding. It was more like _she_ belonged to _him._ She pointed first at the man’s sketchbook and back at Arget. _Are you still going to draw?_

His response was a delighted smile and a pencil returned to paper. There was silence between them, broken only by the occasional coo as Celeste’s fingers picked tiny pieces of debris from cloud-soft feathers.

The silence gave Celeste space to think, and her mind immediately went to her argument with Professor Riven. Well, it was more like a rant – she wasn’t really able to _respond_ the same way her teacher could. And how much she wanted to! She wanted to yell back at Professor Riven, scream about scared she was of hurting another student, and how the other students would react if she _won,_ let along injured their friend. She wanted to confess to never fighting a human opponent before that first fight with him last week, how much easier she found it fighting trolls and ghouls and tricking angry trees into the river rapids. She wanted to tell him that she’d do better next time, she’d fight properly next time if she could just be sure – she didn’t want to get sent away if she hurt someone badly.

“Did you want to talk about it?” The intrusion of another voice into her thoughts shocked Celeste enough to send her backwards off her perch, hitting the ground hard enough to knock that air out of her. Arget took flight in surprise, alighting on a high branch.

A hand appeared in her face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realise you were so deep in thought.”

Celeste looked up warily into concerned eyes, arms lowering from where they’d moved to protect her head. She took the offered hand, shivering a little at its warmth, and didn’t protest as she was led to a closer seat than previously.

“Are you okay? That was a bit of a tumble.”

She nodded sheepishly. _Idiot,_ she berated herself, _pay more attention to your surroundings!_

The man sighed. “That’s good.” His eyes were dark green, Celeste noticed, like the leaves on the trees. “I was just wondering if you wanted to talk – you looked upset.”

Her face screwed up into a grimace before she realised, and she tapped one finger against her throat, opening and closing her mouth for emphasis. She couldn’t talk. She’d tried.

“That’s alright. Talking out loud isn’t the only way to communicate.” The man turned the pages of his sketchbook –flashing a glimpse of bright greens and pinks, rich browns and paler yellows, an eye, a hand, a rose – before landing on a blank page. In flowing cursive, he wrote _Is everything okay?_

He held the pencil and page out to her, but Celeste shook her head. If she tried to write out her answers, they’d be sitting there all afternoon, if he could even read her handwriting. Instead, she grabbed her tablet, opening up to a text screen. **I was just thinking about my teacher. I lost my fight and he was upset.**

The man hummed before responding. _Your teacher is Riven, right?_ When Celeste nodded, he continued, _he can be very angry sometimes, but often he’s just covering up other things. He’s never as angry as you think._

Celeste shot him a disbelieving face – all high eyebrows and down tilted face like she’d seen the Institute students do – as she responded with **He really did look angry. I don’t blame him much; I can’t explain things to him like the other students can.** Celeste barely had to tilt the screen so the other could see, given their height difference and proximity. They weren’t touching, but she could feel his body heat and had to restrain herself from moving away. It was like being close to a fire, all prickly heat and tight skin that made her want to move, retreat to the comfort of cooler stone. It was like waiting for a blow that she couldn’t see coming.

_Maybe you can try to explain it to me? And then you can show it to Riven later._

**Maybe.** Celeste tapped the side of the screen for a moment, thinking. The man sat patiently for her to continue.

**I get scared when fighting,** she began, but then backspaced a bit. **I get scared of hurting people in practice fights.** There, that was better.

The man nodded in understanding. _I don’t enjoy fighting either. I am a pacifist in that I only fight when absolutely necessary to help those I care for._

Celeste frowned for a moment. She looked up at his face and saw the way it closed off. **I’ve never heard of a pacifist before. I don’t think I’m one though. I like to fight,** no, that wasn’t quite right either, **I like learning how to fight, because it means getting strong and being able to protect myself and others.** There, that sounded better.

The man’s face lightened some, and then she realised. **I’m sorry!** She wrote rapidly, **I didn’t mean to be rude. If you don’t want to fight then you don’t have to. I just didn’t know what that word was.**

_That’s okay._

She frowned again. **Why are you at a battle school if you don’t like fighting? Shouldn’t you be somewhere where you’re happy?** She hadn’t been happy at the Institute, which was why Headmaster had sent her here, so she could learn properly.

He laughed. _My uncle is the Headmaster, Professor Saladin. I’m being trained to take over from him because he wants to retire eventually. And I don’t hate it here. It’s like you wrote, I don’t mind learning how to protect people._

She pressed her lips together. If she could, she would have made that unimpressed sound of the Institute teachers always made. **Okay.**

_When I was a student, some of the other kids didn’t like that I was Saladin’s nephew and a pacifist. I think they were insulted by the fact that I wanted to go to art school, not battle school._

**I like art! I want to go to Linphea’s art museum one day!**

_I’m familiar with their artwork. My partner is from Linphea, and we’ve visited it a few times now. I’m sure she’d love to take you on a tour._

Celeste restrained herself from wiggling in excitement. He knew someone from Linphea!

_But I believe we were talking about why you were upset. Why are you scared of hurting your opponent?_

And that happy feeling was gone. **It’s not that I’m scared I’m going to hurt them, it’s that I might hurt them badly. **Another pause, another tap against the side of the screen. **Did you hear about the practise dummy head that went flying through a window?**

_I was there when it hit the students. I thought Riven had done it, given how he was laughing._

Her blush was a radiant red. **No, that was me. I hit the dummy too hard and it went flying.**

The man hummed. _So you’re afraid of knocking off your opponent’s head?_

She glared at him. He was making fun of her! **I’m not scared of knocking their heads off, I’m not stupid! I’m scared of hurting them really bad, like breaking their leg or something! I’m scared I’m going to accidently kill them and then I’m going to get sent back to the Institute and I don’t want to – **no, it’s not that she doesn’t want to… **I can’t go back there. Headmaster said so.**

There was silence and stillness. The man looked at her words for longer than it would have taken to read them. He put his pencil to the page twice before actually starting to write. _You haven’t mentioned any of this to Riven?_

**No.** Like he’d listen if she tried. He’d probably tell her that she’s being stupid, or that she wouldn’t be able to hit them that hard because she’s a girl.

_Have you hurt anyone like that?_

**No, but I haven’t fought people before. I don’t know how hard to hit. **Celeste never needed to practise restraint when fighting trolls and ghouls – trolls had such tough skin that hitting them was like hitting the mountain, and the best way to get rid of ghouls is to send them flying. You couldn’t do that to people. At least, she didn’t see any of the other students fight like that.

_Have you looked at your uniform? Really closely?_

Celeste looked at him in confusion. What about her uniform? It was the same as everyone else wore – cream and navy-blue full-length bodysuit, with matching boots and gloves, and extra padding on the knees and elbows. The cape could get annoying at times, being a brighter shade of blue and knee length, with a clasp just under her right shoulder. Everyone had a different colour pin – hers was bright purple, like her eyes. **What do you mean?**

The man pointed at various places with his pencil even as he wrote. _The suits are made of a special fabric to absorb some of the force from a blow. There’s extra padding over the chest and stomach, to protect your organs. The knees and elbows are reinforced in case you use them in a fight, so there’s less chance of injury there. The gloves protect your hands from being cut if you grab something sharp, but a proper phantoblade can still get through it._

She looked over the uniform with new eyes.

_Think back to your own fight. Were you very injured?_

**No, I just got the wind knocked out of me.** The realisation made her smile. **The suit protected me from a lot of the damage.**

Nodding, the man wrote, _And you practise with bokken, not proper phantoblades, so you’re not at risk of getting cut either._

**But I can still hurt people with them.**

_It’s better that they get hurt now with fake weapons, rather than later with real ones. Losing and winning are all learning experiences._

Celeste screwed up her mouth a little. **I guess.**

_And we have some of the best doctors on hand in case of any serious injury. It’s never been needed in a freshman sparring class. The last time someone got seriously injured on campus, they were being stupid when celebrating after graduation and decided to jump off a balcony. And even that was only a few broken bones._

She giggled despite herself. Who jumps off balconies?

(Celeste does. Celeste jumps off balconies and out windows.)

_Don’t worry too much about the other students. They’re in charge of protecting themselves in a battle, just like you’re in charge of protecting yourself. Defending others comes later. And even if you did seriously injure someone in a fight, it would be an accident. No one’s been expelled from Red Fountain for injuring someone in a sparring match. Injuring someone maliciously outside of the ring, yes, but I don’t think you’d do that. _

**Never!** Celeste typed rapidly. **Fighting is confined to the ring. Professor Codatorta made sure we were all aware of that.** Glancing up, she shot the man a smile. **Thanks for talking about this with me. No one has ever talked to me like this before. It’s fun!**

For some reason, the man’s smile seemed sad. _It was wonderful talking to you too Celeste. I’m always happy to have some company._

**How did you know my name?** She rapidly scrolled through her side of their conversation, trying to see where she’d written her name.

_Professor Saladin told me. And so did Riven, in a way. I’ve never seen him so fired up about teaching someone. Normally he complains about all the students being idiots and unable of fighting their way out of a wet paper bag, and sometimes I’ve had to drag him out of the training room to get to his classes. Apparently you’re smart enough to find your way out of the bag, even if you might not be able to fight your way out of it. _

She grinned. **From Professor Riven, that’s a compliment!**

The man laughed. _From Riven, anything but outright disdain is a compliment._

**So, if you know my name, can I know yours?** Celeste was really curious. This was the second person at Red Fountain to be nice to her, and she didn’t want to keep calling him ‘the man’ in her head.

_Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Helia, and I was on a squad with Riven when I was a student. I still kind of am, even if it’s not as official anymore._

Hesitantly, Celeste held out her hand. With a smile, the man – Helia – shook it. His hand was warm and dry. Somehow, the contact wasn’t scary, like she feared it would be. Instead, it was warm. Like Arget’s feathers.

Arget!

Wildly, she looked up at the trees, and breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted him, napping in the branches. Helia followed her gaze. When he tapped her hand, she looked down to see _your bird is beautiful._

**I’m more like his human but thank you.** After a moment, she added **his name is Arget.**

Helia looked like he was going to write something else, but his communicator started beeping. “I’m sorry,” he said, speaking out loud, “It seems my uncle needs me. I hope to see you again Celeste.”

As he stood, he flipped back a few pages in his sketchbook before tearing one out. He scratched something on it before folding it into quarters and handing it to her. He waved once before disappearing into the trees.

Unfolding it, Celeste saw the drawing of Arget. Written in Helia’s flowing hand was _For Celeste. Feel free to come and have a chat with me whenever Riven is being especially insufferable._

Her hands were shaking. _He gave me a drawing,_ she thought wildly. _And – and he left me a note!_ Her chest felt tight, her eyes were burning, but it didn’t feel bad. It felt nice. It felt **warm.** _Is this – is this what having a friend is like?_

*************

When Helia came across Riven in the communal area of their dorm, just a few hours after speaking with his uncle, he didn’t even think before asking, “So how is Celeste?

The look he got in return wasn’t nice. “What do you care about her?”

“I met her today. She was a little upset – you were disappointed in a freshman over losing a practise match?” That in itself was a little disappointing. He had hoped Riven would have a bit more compassion than that. Especially for someone who was behind every other student in terms of preparation.

Riven sighed. “It’s not that I’m disappointed in her losing, as much as – wait a minute! How did you know? How did she tell you?”

Helia really wished he could pull off the ‘one eyebrow’ unimpressed look his uncle could do with ease. “Talking isn’t the only way people communicate Riven.”

“I know, I know, it’s just…” The way Riven slumped onto one of the couches would have been amusing if it didn’t also look pitiful. “It’s different training a girl. Training a _mute_ girl. I can barely train a normal student, let alone…”

“Maybe if you try thinking of her as a normal student, you’d have an easier time of it.” Helia took a seat at the man’s side. “Now what were you saying about not being disappointed in her? Because Celeste is under the impression that _you’re_ upset with _her_.”

“It’s – it’s not that she lost. It’s that I know she can do better.” Riven leaned back against the couch, facing the ceiling. “Her ability to learn kata’s is incredible Helia. She learns them and applies them just fine on the practise dummies. But the second she stepped into the arena, it’s like she’d forgotten everything she’d learned. Her hits wouldn’t have bruised a _fairy!_ And then, afterwards, I heard some of the things the other students were saying. Things that, if they had been saying them to me, I would have decked them for. And she ignored them. She walked past like she couldn’t hear them!”

Riven shot to his feet and began pacing. “But I _know_ she heard them – that girl has ears like a bat, I swear. She heard them, but she didn’t say anything against it. She didn’t _do_ anything against it. And that’s what frustrates me.”

“That she has better self-control than you do?” Helia said dryly. _Not that it would be hard. He’s like a firework – once set off, he can’t be stopped._

“That she had no _pride,”_ Riven corrected. “She doesn’t seem to have any pride in herself as a warrior.”

“Really? Did you _ask_ her about any of this? Ask her about _why_ she did so badly in the arena, or why she ignored those students? In my opinion, ignoring them was her best move. Better to show them up in the arena than try to make empty boasts after the fact. Not to mention, Celeste is _mute._ What were you expecting her to do?”

“I did ask her!” Riven looked at him darkly. “I even asked her to write it down on her tablet! But she did nothing!”

“Did you ask, or did you immediately start accusing her of things?”

By the way Riven’s face stiffened, and his eyes shifted, Helia could guess that the answer was _no._

“She’s _your student_ Riven. She’s struggling and she needs your support. Talk _to_ her, not _at_ her.”

Riven threw his hands up. “I’m trying!”

“Then try harder.” Helia’s voice was sharp. “It’s your responsibility as a teacher to help your student, and she was putting out some pretty big HELP ME signs. It shouldn’t have fallen to me to talk about her concerns.”

“Concerns?” The worry in Riven’s voice gave Helia hope. “What was she concerned about?”

“That’s something you’re going to need to ask her.”

*****************

_The shadows were back. They were different this time, no river and more trees. Her hands (not her hands) were now carrying something cold and rough. It bit into her palms. She only walked for a little while longer before stopping._

_With great care, she placed the rock on the shadowy ground. As her head turned (it was too light and too heavy at the same time, no swish of long hair) she could see more stones, ringing halfway around a grassless circle. She could smell something burning._

_That deep voice spoke. “Soon.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors Notes
> 
> Hi everyone! Here is chapter two of AURIX!!! I’m actually really pleased with how this chapter turned out – Helia is one of my favourite characters in the series, and he and Flora are serious couple goals.
> 
> Celeste has gained a new big brother ^u^ and I’m really excited to expand on that a little later.
> 
> Tell me what you think, and come yell at my on Tumblr @Celebrimbor97 -- I've uploaded some art I've done of Celeste under #aurix. If anyone else get the urge to draw something, tag me ^u^
> 
> See you next week!


	3. In Which Ghouls are Fought (And Celeste is Followed)

When Celeste walked into the training room the next morning, she was in a good mood. All her theory work was done for the week, along with the associated homework. In the library, she’d managed to find a book about Earth art history when looking for the extra readings for Politics. It had replications of paintings, sculptures, and illustrations from across the planet going back thousands of years. It was _fascinating._ And, given the fact that it doubled as a _history_ text, she could use it as a reading for her War History assignment if she chose to focus on Earth-based warfare. Certainly none of her classmates would choose it – they all seemed to prefer looking at the civil wars of Solaria, or the logical battle strategies of Zenith. Earth was considered too backwards for their standards. Their loss.

But either way, Celeste walked into the training room that Thursday morning with a smile on her face, having completely forgotten about yesterday’s debacle of a sparring match. At least, until she saw her teacher waiting for her with a smirk.

She immediately went pale. If she were to look into a mirror, she would see the small silvery freckles that dotted her cheeks and forehead fairly _glowing_ with how much blood drained from her face.

Professor Riven sounded almost absurdly happy when he addressed her. “Hello Celeste, how are you this morning?”

Trying not to step too close, Celeste nodded in response. In vain she tried to bring back that smile which so easily graced her face seconds before. Her hand was shaky when she gave him a thumbs up. _He called me by name. He **never** calls me by name._

“That’s good. I saw that all your theory work for this week was marked as complete, so I decided that we would have a full-day training and conditioning session. If you keep finishing your work so quickly, I’ll make this into a weekly thing.” His smile wasn’t nice. It was _evil._

Celeste nodded again.

“We’re going to start with a nice jog as a warm up.” Professor Riven headed to the door. “It’ll be easy – you just need to keep up with _me.”_ And the man was off, running down the hall towards the stairs at a steady lope.

_He’s going to kill me,_ Celeste thought as she scrambled to catch up with her teacher and his much longer legs. _He’s going to make me run to my death for disappointing him yesterday!_

She wasn’t completely wrong. The ‘warm up’ jog eventually led to the larger Red Fountain student gym, where Celeste was put through a gruelling exercise circuit that seemed designed specifically to cause every single muscle in her body to ache. A two minute break between each station was all she was allowed – enough time for her to get her breath back, and have a sip of water, but not much else. A cool down run and stretch proceeded lunch, which she was mortified to actually _share_ with her teacher.

Professor Riven followed her into the dining hall, grumbling about the food standard at Red Fountain. According to him, the food was good for nutrients and calories, but tasted like cardboard compared to the food found elsewhere. All the other students stared as he dropped down in the seat across from her. The round tables allowed for up to six seats, and there were just enough seats for every student. For first time, Celeste saw empty tables in a ring around hers– students either doubling up at other tables, or walking in, seeing Professor Riven eating with a red-faced student, and immediately walking out. Said professor forced a second sandwich and extra apple down her throat, complaining all the while about fairies and their tendency to go on extreme diets.

With a steely look in his eye, he said to her, “If I ever find out about you skipping out on meals or eating less for the sake of being skinny or having a nice body, I will let seniors use you for target practise. And seniors _don’t miss.”_

Just then, Helia walked past to say hello. “It’s nice to see you spending time with others, Riven. And I don’t believe I’ve seen any crying students yet.”

He’d just grumbled in response. “I haven’t made anyone faint in almost 24 hours either.”

“A new record,” Helia said sombrely. He snuck Celeste a wink when Professor Riven started growling, and she had to hide her smile behind her apple.

After lunch, they returned to the training room where Celeste was forced to contort her body into various uncomfortable positions. She had been familiar with some of them, having snuck through the old connection tunnels to spy on classes in the Aurais girl’s school on the other side of the mountain, but many were new and painful.

Professor Riven was unapologetic even as he stretched beside her (she was smug over the fact that _she_ could go down into the splits and _he_ couldn’t). “You need to be flexible in both body and strategy if you want to be winning any of your sparring matches. As a girl, your greatest advantage will be your flexibility and speed. Don’t try to match your opponents blow for blow – you’re not built to take those kinds of hits. Avoid them.”

The thing that made Celeste hate her teacher just a _little_ less was the fact that he worked alongside her. He didn’t just watch – he matched her step for step, stretch for stretch, station for station. It was as much for his benefit as for hers. And when he set up a new training dummy, he went first.

“This is a new invention of Timmy’s, designed for your kind of fighting style,” Professor Riven slapped a hand on the skinny, tree-like machine that was almost as tall as he was. “The aim is to hit the buttons on the body without getting hit by the arms. Speed and evasion. Watch closely.”

On the first setting, the various arms didn’t move very fast. They were rigid in their positions, spinning around the main body at a low speed. The buttons were easy enough to find, lighting up as the exercise started and disappearing once hit. After successfully hitting all twenty buttons without injury, Professor Riven moved aside to let her have a go.

Celeste didn’t come through quite as unscathed. One hit caught her across the stomach, and she coughed even as Professor Riven explained to her where she went wrong and how to place her feet better.

He raised an eyebrow. “Are you ready to go again?”

She nodded. The pain was already fading.

“Okay. Watch me again. This is the second level.” Again, the lights came on, and again Professor Riven hit all twenty buttons without injury. The machine moved just a little bit faster this time, and the lower most arms were able to bend from their static position in swiping movements. When Celeste had her turn, one caught her hard enough at the ankle to make her stumble into another arm. The subsequent collision with the ground rammed the breath from her lungs.

Once she caught her breath, a hand appeared in her face. Professor Riven looked down at her with something like concern in his face. “Alright?”

She glared at the machine and nodded even as she was pulled to her feet. She was bested by a _machine._

Professor Riven laughed. “Want to go again? Keep an eye on those lower arms – and keep moving. A sitting duck is a dead duck.”

When the arms went for her ankles again, Celeste was ready – jumping _onto_ the arm as she pulled one leg back into a punishing kick on the last remaining light. The metal bent in a little at the force.

“Well,” her teacher said dryly, “Looks like you’ve beat that level. Want to try the next?”

Celeste’s earlier exhaustion was forgotten as she and Professor Riven took turns beating each level of the machine. It wasn’t until the sixth level that things went wrong.

All the arms were moving now, rotating in their sockets and shifting up and down. Celeste was moments away from hitting the last light when something flashed off glass in the corner of her eye – the sun had moved into the window. That split second of inattention cost her, and a metal arm caught her sharply across the shoulder. She gasped at the sudden pain, moving away from the machine’s reach to rub the feeling back into it.

With a curse, Professor Riven sprang forward and shut down the program. Sharp eyes turned to her, catching the way her hand shook over the ball of her shoulder. “What’s wrong with your shoulder?”

She waved a dismissive hand – notably, not the hand connected to the hit shoulder – even as blood drained from her face. She was _fine._

When Professor Riven crossed his arms, Celeste knew he wasn’t buying it. “Did the Evader hit you too hard?”

Celeste shook her head rapidly, lifting both hands with a wince before dropping them. How was she going to explain this? _Without_ getting into trouble?

“I didn’t see you get hit in the shoulder yesterday, so what happened?” When Celeste instinctively denied it, Professor Riven stared her down. “I know you’re injured – your face gives you away every time. How bad is it? Do you need to see one of the nurses?”

At that, Celeste shuddered and took a step back. _Don’t send me to the nurses!_ They were scary. When Professor Saladin brought her to Red Fountain, they wouldn’t let her out of the infirmary for a whole _two days,_ stabbing her with needles and sighing over her weight and berating the cowed looking Headmaster about her vitamin intake, whatever _that_ meant. If Professor Riven made her go back…

He sighed. “Look, we didn’t get off on the right foot. I wasn’t told anything until right before I met you so I was frustrated, I’m pretty sure _you_ weren’t told anything so _you_ were confused, and everything about _this,”_ here he waved a hand between them, “Isn’t exactly Red Fountain regelation. You’re the first female student at the school, and you’re the first to essentially be given an apprenticeship. You’re _my_ apprentice, which means that I’m responsible for your wellbeing, and that means I need to know if you’re injured. Continuing to train on an injury will only make it worse. _I_ don’t want to hurt you.” Saying all this caused the man to become tense – he couldn’t look her directly in the eye, instead glancing either at her shoulder or just over it. “So just tell me, please, how did you injure yourself and how bad is it?”

Even as she grabbed her tablet, Celeste couldn’t figure out how to explain it. To be honest with herself, she had no idea how bad her injury was. Medical stuff hadn’t exactly been on her reading list – the first and last time she’d looked at a book on medicine, she had been ten and put off by the large words and specific language. But Professor Riven was… he looked _worried._ Like the Headmaster did, the first time she snuck out of the castle. And he was _nice_ to her. He said _please._

So she typed out an answer. **I was doing some extra training outside last night and landed on it wrong. I’m not sure how bad it is though, but I don’t think it’s very bad. Just sore.**

Professor Riven read it with a blank look before glancing up. “Are you able to let me have a look at it? Or would you prefer to get it checked by a nurse? I need to know the extent of the damage before we keep training.”

With a shrug, Celeste pulled down the zipper on her uniform. She’d been provided with a reinforced sleeveless undershirt – a crop top, she was told – when she got her uniform to support and protect her chest, so it wasn’t like anyone would be seeing anything they shouldn’t. She carefully peeled her left arm out of the clingy suit and turned her back to her teacher.

She heard him inhale sharply as he took in the damage. Ugly purple and blue bruising formed a mottled pattern over the ball of her shoulder and down her back, fading into lighter blues at the edges. Warm fingers put firm pressure at the light points and Celeste hissed. That hurt! They moved immediately as Professor Riven circled around to look her in the eyes.

“How did this happen Celeste? Because that kind of bruising doesn’t just come from a training accident.”

She stiffened. **It was a training accident,** she wrote again, **but I fell out of a tree.** See, that was _kinda_ the truth. She didn’t need to explain the exact circumstances of _how_ she fell out of the tree…

“Celeste…” To her surprise, the teacher led her over to the benches built into the wall and sat, making sure to keep a fair amount of space between them. “Celeste, are you being bullied?”

Her face said it all. _What?_

“I’ve fallen from plenty of trees Celeste, I’ve watched my squad mates fall from trees, and none of them resulted in bruises like that. Not unless we were pushed.” His face was almost soft as he continued, “I heard some of the things the other students were saying yesterday. Did one of them try something? Was it one of the seniors?”

She shook her head even as she wrote a reply. **No, it had nothing to do with any other student. I was careless and stupid and not paying enough attention to my surroundings.**

“You don’t need to protect them.” Professor Riven was getting angry now. There was something different about it though – it wasn’t his normal, disdainful kind of snarl. “If someone is hurting you, you need to tell me so I can make them stop.”

**There was no one it was my fault** Celeste typed quickly. **Can we get back to training?**

“Are you going to have another one of these late night ‘training sessions’?” He asked, making weird movements with his fingers.

**I’ll wait until my shoulder is healed,** she wrote distractedly, **but I want to keep doing them. What was that thing you did with your fingers?**

He blinked. “What?”

Celeste copied him – hands in fists on either side of her face, first two fingers up, before mouthing the words ‘training sessions’ while bending her fingers up and down.

“Oh, that. Those are called quotation marks, and I did them because I don’t believe you.” He didn’t seem to care anymore, walking away to grab a small tub out of his bag. “But I have no proof that it _wasn’t_ a training session, and you don’t trust me enough to tell me the truth, so we’ll be leaving it at that for today. Go put some of this on your bruise. We’re done here.”

When she didn’t move to take the tub, he scowled. “Are you going to take it?”

**Thank you Professor Riven,** she wrote after a moment. **Do we have another training session tomorrow?**

The man scowled harder as he shoved the tablet back into her hand, “Don’t call me Professor – it makes me sound old. Just call me Riven. And yes, we still have training. Don’t be late.”

Professor – _Riven_ walked out of the room without looking back, leaving Celeste standing dumbfounded with a tub of bruise paste in one hand and a tablet in the other. _What… what was that?_

***************

Riven was still scowling hours later, storming down the outdoor corridors on his way to his quarters. Thankfully there were no students around, otherwise he would have broken his now 36 hour no-fainting streak. He had fled to Magix and a bar he knew that only asked one question – what are you drinking? – after he gave the girl the bruise paste. There, he spent a couple of hours trying to drown his sorrows. Or more accurately, trying to drown that heaviness in his chest that showed up when he realised just how little his student trusted him.

He didn’t know why it affected him so much. He barely knew the girl! He had been training her for less than two weeks. In that time, she had said very little to him – their interaction earlier was the most he’d ever heard from her. He had read the reports given by the other teachers (participates very little, but seems to be listening intently), glanced over her results from this test or that essay (which were surprisingly high), developed training sessions based on how she responded to different fighting styles (she needed a weapon that would both increase her reach and not impact her speed or manoeuvrability, perhaps a dual weapon), but he hadn’t _tried_ to get to know her beyond that. He didn’t know what her favourite food was. He didn’t know if purple was her favourite colour, even though it was the colour of her cape pin. He didn’t even know why she refused to speak!

It’s not surprising that Celeste didn’t trust him enough to tell him what was really going on. But it still hurt.

There had been a fleeting though this morning that they were actually getting somewhere. The warm up jog may have started as a somewhat cruel punishment for her failure in the ring, the girl lagging behind due to her much shorter legs, but by the end they were racing each other to the gym. Then there was the workout circuit, and then lunch, and then playing with Timmy’s new machine… It was like training with the squad again. It was like being back at school, when he had his squad and Musa and the other Winx and that sense of everything being right in the world, even when things were actively trying to kill them.

Oh magic, _Musa…_ That was a whole other issue there. He missed her so much, and regretted the way he left things between them, but… His _stupid_ pride stopped him from reaching out. What could he even say to her anyway? _Hey, I’m sorry for being a douche, take me back?_

Riven scoffed as he rounded the building. Neither of the women in his life trusted him it seemed. Musa had every reason not to, given the amount of times he’d been brainwashed and turned against her. And Celeste, well… _none_ of the students trusted him as a teacher. Why should she?

A sound pulled him out of his increasingly maudlin (and not exactly sober) musings, drawing his attention upwards. He was near the senior dorms – they sat on top of the library wing, consisting of two floors, each with three squad rooms, a common room, a study space and a small training area. There were only two senior squads this year, so they’d split themselves up. The noise was coming from the topmost floor, where a window had opened, and a person was climbing out.

Riven opened his mouth to call out – to berate them, tell them to grease the hinges if they didn’t want to be caught, to indulge in his seniority as a student started babbling in fear of the hated professor, he didn’t know – but then the clouds shifted letting through enough moonlight to shine off long pitch black hair, pale skin glowing as Celeste fairly _floated_ down the wall.

Anything he was going to say dried up at that point. Celeste was _sneaking out of her dorm room._ Words flashed through his mind – **late night training sessions.** This was his chance to find out what was really going on (a chance to find out who was hurting _his_ student).

Silently Riven followed the girl through the school, frowning as she went further _inside_ the campus rather than towards one of the open areas or training rooms. She was good at avoiding the cameras, which made Riven feel something akin to pride at his obviously skilled student, sneaking through their blind spots via shadows and spaces Riven didn’t even know existed. She stopped at the hanger bay and his mouth dropped. _She was leaving the school?!_

Oh shit, he hadn’t taught her how to drive yet! Did she know how to pilot a plane? Or a wind rider?

Thankfully, for Riven’s sake, Celeste didn’t jump into one of the various aircraft sitting around. Instead, she made her way to the exhaust vents that cycled fresh air from outside into the hanger. With the ease of someone who’d done it a dozen times before, Celeste tugged the cover off the vent and slipped inside.

With a curse, Riven sprinted over to his wind rider. There was no way he was going through the exhaust vents, even if he could fit, and this way he’d have an easier time following her to _wherever_ she was going. It still took a good five minutes after leaving Red Fountain to spot her – somehow Celeste had already gotten out of the vents and onto solid ground, steadily making her way into the surrounding woods.

Riven followed her for a good half hour, occasionally ducking into and behind the tree line as the girl periodically looked to the stars. **Celeste is achieving high marks in Navigation,** he remembered one of the reports saying, **her comprehension and application of star charts far exceeds the expected knowledge base of a freshman.** It didn’t take him long to realise they were headed to Black Mud Swamp, and something dropped in his stomach. _Who was she meeting out here? Witches?_ The thought made him shiver. Witches weren’t something freshmen should mess with – especially not _his_ student. In his distraction, Riven didn’t realise he’d lost sight of her till it was too late – Celeste had disappeared into the depths of the swamp, and the trees were becoming too tight packed to continue on the wind rider.

On foot, Riven was able to follow Celeste’s trail. She wasn’t making any attempts to hide it, so she wasn’t _expecting_ to be followed. At one point, the trail led to the base of a tree before stopping – looking up, he could barely see a dark lump slung over a branch. After climbing the tree (with much cursing) he found a deep blue coat. It was obviously well cared for, as despite the fading fabric, the hems were still in good condition. _Had she put this here for safekeeping? What is she **doing?**_

Thinking back to when he first saw her climbing out the window, he paled. Celeste wasn’t wearing her uniform. The shadows and distance had hidden a lot from him – enough that a deep blue coat looked similar to a bright blue cape – but he could distinctly remember seeing a lot of black rather than cream. She’d hidden easily enough in the shadows after all.

Then he heard the high-pitched screeching.

**_OH SHIT._ **

Riven sprinted through the swamp, uncaring of the noise he was making. His student was alone in Black Mud Swamp, without armour or even a proper _weapon,_ at the mercy of the ghoul infestation Codatorta was planning on making the sophomore students clear out for detention.

When he burst into the clearing, Riven was expecting an injured student, maybe some blood. Definitely something akin to a damsel-in-distress situation, like Musa – the Winx had found themselves in over the years.

He wasn’t expecting… _this._

Celeste looked like she was having the time of her life.

Riven had never seen the girl smile so widely… or with so much glee. Her weapon may have only been a tree branch, stripped clean of smaller off shoots and leaves, but she was wielding it like her bokken. She was darting around the clearing, swinging at the malformed creatures like she was going for a home run. Even as he watched, she kicked one ghoul into the air before sending it flying. Another tried to run up her leg before she flung it into a small knot of already downed opponents. He could only stare, open mouthed, as Celeste completely decimated the twenty-odd ghouls. _Where was this confidence in the arena?!_

For the moment, Riven was content to just watch, blue coat balled up in his arms. He’d give her the dressing down of a lifetime when she was done.

Of course, that’s when the troll showed up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Sorry about the wait – I got stuck on some of the chapters when trying to work out spacing ‘-_-   
> This chapter goes a bit more into the development of Riven and Celeste’s relationship as mentor/mentee, which I was very excited to write. I also enjoyed going a little bit into Riven’s thoughts about Celeste in comparison to his experiences with Musa and the Winx – there’s going to be differences, given upbringing and stuff like that, but I think that Riven struggles a lot with his relationship to females, no matter how he see it (romantic, platonic, familial).   
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I will hopefully be uploading chapter 4 next week ^u^  
> Come yell at me on Tumblr @Celebrimbor97


	4. Piggy Back Rides (Worried Big Brother Part I)

Celeste panted, watching as the few ghouls who were still conscious, if not unharmed, gathered for one final assault. Her muscles hurt with that nice ache that came from pushing your limits. The bruise on her shoulder was practically gone thanks to that miracle paste Professor Ri— _Riven_ gave her. One ghoul tried to scurry up her leg and was shaken off. Another tried to trip her over from behind – she taught it how to fly. She was just about to take a swing at another ghoul when the troll arrived.

Her first clue was the sound of snapping branches. Her second clue was the way the ghouls scrambled to a stop, screeched, and ran deeper into the swamp. Her third clue was the sudden shout of her teacher – and when did _he_ get here – telling her to –

“ _MOVE CELESTE!”_

With a silent gasp, Celeste threw herself into a forward roll, ducking under the sweep of a large, roughly hewn club. Behind her, the troll stumbled under the weight of its swing. Rising smoothly to her feet, Celeste spun with her own branch at the ready, only to leap backwards away from a second, surprisingly fast, strike.

Across the clearing, Riven dropped something (was that her coat?) and pulled out his sword. He was quick to slash at the trolls unprotected knees, aiming to knock it off balance. Celeste backed up further, now almost to the tree line. This troll was a _lot_ bigger than anything she’d fought before. It was almost twice her height and just as angry, turning away from her to face the greater threat.

The greater threat that just got backhanded into a tree.

In the back of Celeste’s mind, she noticed that Riven, like her, was wearing casual clothes. _He wasn’t wearing his armour._ Something inside her chest became cold and tight, like a frozen knot. Like a firework just before the explosion. She sprang forward with a snarl that was almost audible. As the troll swung its club towards her head, that tight knot expanded and burst through her chest, down her arm and out of her free hand. For a moment, the club hovered in the air, even lifting slightly like gravity had reversed. With that split second of hesitation – that pivotal moment of a battle where everything changes – Celeste slipped down and under the troll’s uplifted arm, around to its blind side, and slid her branch between its knees. A twist. A pull. The force of the troll hitting the ground shook the earth.

The troll bellowed in rage, swinging its arms and gouging at the ground. Celeste leapt nimbly over its hand to land on its back – she was going to knock this thing out with _extreme prejudice._ The troll writhed and scratched at its back as she made her unsteady way up its spine. Thankfully the creature hadn’t thought to simply roll over and crush her, instead shredding its own skin. Celeste dodged one searching hand, almost stumbling into the other and having to throw herself into a wobbly back handspring, losing her branch in the process. There was a pinch on her calf, and when she glanced up after steadying herself, she saw Riven standing at the trolls’ head.

Face screwed up in a savage, victorious snarl, he hit the troll over the head hard enough to make it bounce off the ground with the recoil. The force shuddered through the trolls’ body, arms and legs spasming with a final, aborted effort to defend itself. Celeste slipped with the movement, sliding down the trolls’ side and stumbling a few steps away.

When Riven turned to her – to berate her, congratulate her, she didn’t know – Celeste felt fine. A little out of breath, a little shaky from the adrenaline, but she felt good.

It wasn’t until her teacher came closer, concern softening the lines of his face, asking, “You okay?” that Celeste felt any different.

Then she noticed the burning in her leg. The damp heat dripping into her shoe. The sudden weakness in her knee that made her stumble, almost sending her into the troll if Riven hadn’t caught her. As he held her upright, Celeste gazed down. The blood was barely discernible from the black denim around it, but the top of her shoe was turning red. Torn threads stuck to her skin, and she bit her lip to hold back the giggles at the ticklish sensation. She glanced over at the troll, seeing the long claws and remembering that pinch. Her blood stained one of the claws. _I really need to keep an eye on my surroundings,_ she thought hazily. The world was moving. Black spots flickered at the edges of her vision.

As Celeste began to sway, Riven held her tighter about the shoulders, guiding her away and down. “I need you to breathe Celeste. Just breathe.”

She _was_ breathing – wasn’t she? Celeste gasped in one ragged, shuddering breath and felt the haziness abate. Oh. She wasn’t. Another ragged breath followed, and another, and another, till the rhythm evened and slowed. Riven probed carefully at the rip in her jeans, tearing the fabric down to the hem to get a better look at the injury.

After a moment, he leaned back on his heels. “Well, you’re not too badly injured. It’s just a long scratch really, not a deep one. Won’t even need stitches. I just need to wrap it till we get back to the school…” As her teacher began rummaging through his pockets, looking for something to stop the bleeding and only coming up with a small fabric square, Celeste grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled.

**_RIIIIIIIIP!_ **

Riven stared at her, at the square in his hand, and then the grey strip lying across hers. With a shrug, he began binding her leg. “That works, I guess.” The fabric square was folded over the majority of the injury while the t shirt strip held it in place. It took another two strips before he was satisfied. Celeste was glad that her shirt was a good three sizes too big for her in the first place – it now came to her hips, rather than halfway down her thighs.

“That will do till we get back to Red Fountain and I can clean it properly.” Riven punctuated his words with a clap as he stood. “Now, can you walk?”

With a helping hand, Celeste shakily stood. It wasn’t burning anymore, but the feeling still wasn’t pleasant. She took a couple of wobbly steps forward before nodding. Painful, but nothing she couldn’t handle.

“Alright.” Riven sighed. “Proper explanations can wait till you’ve got your tablet, but… _what in the dark dimension were you thinking!”_

Celeste flinched at the force of his shout, tangling her feet as she tried to step away. Her potentially painful contact with the ground was stopped by a supporting hand on her shoulder.

“Oh no, injured or not, you’re hearing this! You _do not_ sneak out of school after curfew to go and fight monsters!” As he ranted, Riven began to lead her out of the clearing and towards the school. “ _Especially_ not Black Mud Swamp monsters! You’re going to get yourself killed!”

She saw her coat on the ground as they passed and tugged at her teacher to get him to stop. He followed her gaze to the fabric lump, picking it up with a scoff and slinging it around her shoulders. “And this! You’re not even in your uniform! If you _were,_ you wouldn’t be limping right now! A pair of jeans and,” here, Riven sniffed in a way that reminded her of a Ventus noble, “and an old shirt aren’t going to do _shit_ to protect you! At least you bought a coat, but you didn’t even wear _that!”_

Her hands pulled the coat closer. She didn’t want to wreck it! It was the nicest piece of clothing she owned, aside from her uniform. She slid her arms through the sleeves and pouted at the way the hems stopped halfway up her forearms. The shoulders were a little tight too, but she stretched and carried on. The coat still fit! If barely…

Riven continued to rant, questioning her upbringing, her common sense (or lack of it) and her sanity (also lacking). They had only walked – or in her case, limped – about thirty metres when Riven stopped. “We’re not going to get back to Red Fountain before sunrise at this rate,” He groaned.

Celeste grimaced. She didn’t want any of the other students to see her injured like this. Who knows what they’d do – or think.

Riven groaned again, facing the sky, before turning so that his back was to her. He crouched with loose hands half curled at his waist.

“Alright, get on before I change my mind.”

One blink. Two. _What?_

A pale purple eye appeared over one shoulder. “Climb on my back idiot. I’m gonna have to carry you back to my wind rider if we want to get out of this swamp any time soon. Why you had to go so deep _into_ it in the first place…”

Carry… her? Celeste stared uncertainly at Riven’s back. She’d never been _carried_ before. Her hands twitched and twisted in her coat. She took one step forward, before leaning back. What was she meant to do?

There was something wrong with Riven’s face when he sighed and spun around to face her, still kneeling. It didn’t look right – like he was sad, but also angry, and something that just made her heart feel heavy. “Look, I’m not going to do anything. You can trust me. I’m just going to carry you. I won’t even drop you!”

She nodded hastily. Of course she trusted him! She just _didn’t know how to be carried._ It was times like this that she _really_ hated being mute. _I trust you,_ she mouthed, _I just don’t know how to be carried._

His eyebrows were scrunched when Riven replied, “That first part, you said you trusted me?” at Celeste’s nod, he continued, “But that second part… what do you mean? Don’t you want me to carry you?”

 _I…_ she started again, before huffing. They’d be going around in circles for hours if she didn’t find a better way to… wait. Celeste awkwardly lowered herself into a crouch. She was almost able to touch the ground when she overbalanced and fell hard onto her butt. Instinctively she tried to roll backwards with the movement, but her injured leg protested at the strain and she ended up on her back, legs twisted. She growled. _By the ever loving…_ A sound made her look up.

Riven’s shoulders were shaking as he tried to stifle his chuckles. After a moment, he schooled his face into something resembling seriousness. “Please tell me you’ve got a reason for sitting down? Or were you just making a fool of yourself for shits and giggles?”

Celeste scowled at him. His lip twitched a little – he was still laughing at her! She pushed herself into a seated position and smoothed out the dirt beside her. **VERY FUNNY,** she wrote in large letters.

“I agree, you are very funny,” Riven said as he moved a little closer. “But back to the point – are you comfortable with me carrying you?”

 **I’M OKAY WITH IT,** she wrote after wiping away her previous message, **BUT I DON’T KNOW HOW TO BE CARRIED.**

“You don’t…” There was something like confusion on Riven’s face, “Has no one ever given you a piggyback ride before?”

Celeste shook her head. Piggyback ride? What kind of carry was that?

“What kind of family…” He started to grumble as he got to his feet. “Alright, this will be easier if you’re standing.”

With Riven’s help, Celeste managed to stand without falling over again. Once she was steady, he took a step away and turned around before bending his knees a little

“Now, put your arms around my shoulders,” He explained, gesturing with his hands, “And you’re going to have to lift your leg – your injured one – up to my hip.”

Hesitantly, Celeste limped closer. Her arms shook as she wrapped them around Riven’s shoulders, having to stretch a little to reach – he was a good head and shoulders taller than her. His hands were warm as he guided her to a more secure hold. When she lifted her hurt leg, he grabbed her knee and held it against his side. This left her in an awkward half up, half down position that made her supporting leg hurt.

“Alright, now you’re going to have to jump up a little and put your other leg around my waist – I’ll catch it, don’t worry.” Riven crouched down a little more, and Celeste’s fingers dug into his shoulders as she hopped. The second her supporting leg left the ground, her heart felt like it was trying to climb up into her throat. There was a feeling of both weightlessness and the sickening pressure of gravity in that moment before Riven caught her knee, guiding it up and over his hip.

“There we go.”

Celeste scrambled for a more secure hold as she started going backwards. Riven’s fingers dug into her knees as he leaned forward.

“Calm down!” He snapped over his shoulder. “I’ve got you, you’re just gonna need to lean with me.”

She was pressed against Riven’s back from chest to hip, knees clamped tightly at his waist. Her head was starting to go fuzzy again – she felt shaky, and her skin was burning. It was like when she got into a hot shower after being outside for ages, the heat stinging her skin. She had never been this close to someone _ever._ Certainly she’s never been _carried._ The fact that she wasn’t touching the ground, wasn’t supporting herself, was terrifying.

“Oi, you okay back there?” Riven threw a glance back at her. “I’m gonna have to shuffle you a bit – just hold on.” When he let go of her leg with his left hand, Celeste stiffened and held tighter to his shoulders.

Riven winced. “Look, you don’t need to hold on _that_ tight. You’re so light I could probably pick you up with one hand. Just… relax, alright?” She nodded against his shoulder. Riven grabbed her leg again, this time in the crook of his elbow, before moving his other arm to match. With prompting, Celeste slid her arms further around Riven’s shoulders. Her fingers clasped tightly just before his collarbone, and her head was tucked into the gap between his back and her elbow.

The hold didn’t seem so scary now – she almost felt _safe._ The realisation made her limp. 

“Alright, let’s go.”

Riven set a fast pace towards his wind rider, and Celeste could only hang on for the ride. She recognised the hold now – she saw it once at a Ventus Open Day, when the student’s families would come and watch them fight in the big arena. Her favourite part of the day was watching them all have lunch in the courtyard afterwards, with lots of little kids running around everywhere. It was the only time she ever saw someone under the age of 13. She could remember one of the students – he had the most yellow-blonde hair she’d ever seen and was the best archer in his class – carrying around a little boy the same way. Carrying him _piggyback._ The little boy had been smiling and laughing and kicking his legs like he was riding a dragon and trying to make it go faster. It had confused her at the time, because none of the students had carried their friends like that. They would carry each other over one shoulder, or both shoulders, during some of the training exercises. One time, a black-haired boy had carried his friend in his arms, one under his knees and one before his head, back to the dorms after he’d fallen asleep in the library. She’d always wanted to be carried like that.

She could almost remember something _similar_ to Riven’s hold. It was like the sensation of being carried, not like how Riven was carrying her, but like how that boy had carried his friend. It was the warmth of her blanket nest in the East tower, and the whisper of a soothing voice, the half-remembered pressure of a cold hand in hers, the phantom itch of fingers being guided across a page. They always seemed more like wishful dreaming than anything rooted in reality. Tears sprung to her eyes at the thought. _I always did want someone to hold me._ Celeste pressed her face harder against Riven’s shoulder. She wasn’t going to cry. She _wasn’t._

“Don’t go falling asleep back there,” Riven said as the wind rider came into view. “We still need to get back to Red Fountain, and then I need to look at your leg. You can sleep after.”

Celeste had almost forgotten about her leg – it wasn’t really hurting anymore, just a dull throbbing in time with Riven’s steps.

Riven carefully set her down on the seat, grabbing a helmet from a compartment on the back. It was the same magenta shade as his hair, with cream accents. “Put that on.” The helmet was weird, she decided. It made her head feel heavy as she twisted it back and forth.

“You haven’t been on a wind rider before, have you?” When Celeste shook her head, Riven continued, “I’ll ask Codatorta about arranging lessons for you then. For now, you don’t have to do anything. Just hold on and try not to move around too much.”

He climbed on in front of her and guided her hands around his waist. Just as they were about to lift off, she reached up and tapped his shoulder.

“What?” Riven glanced over his shoulder. “Worried?”

 _You’re not wearing a helmet!_ Celeste tapped at her borrowed helmet before pointing at him.

Riven huffed and turned back around. “I’ve only got the one helmet. It’s fine. Besides, Saladin would have my head if he saw me wearing a helmet and you not.”

Before Celeste could protest further – Riven’s safety was important too – he sent them rocketing up into the air. Her mouth opened in a soundless screech as the ground seemed to disappear beneath them. She could hear Riven’s laughter over the rushing wind. He threw them into a couple of flips that made her smile beneath the helmet, and a barrel roll that made her dig her nails into Riven’s stomach in revenge.

They got to Red Fountain _way_ too quickly. Riven landed in the docking bay with barely a bump. Once he’d climbed off, Celeste handed back the helmet. Her head suddenly felt so much lighter. The _piggyback_ ride that followed felt a lot less awkward now that she knew what she was doing.

“If you’d been going out to the swamp for your late night training sessions,” Riven said as they headed down the corridor, “How do you get back up here? For that matter, how do you get down?”

It was times like this Celeste was glad she was mute. It really helped when she _didn’t_ want to answer questions she wasn’t sure of the answer to.

They were almost home free. All they needed to do was go up five floors, and they’d be at her dorm. The elevator doors were in sight. Riven pressed the button to call them down. The doors opened. Professor Codatorta glared at them. 

“Codatorta! I didn’t think you covered any of the night watches anymore?” Riven’s shoulders were tense under her hold.

“I do when the students on watch call me up about a possible security breach in an air vent,” He says as he jerks his head. “Git inside.”

Riven stood in the corner furthest from the professor, who was watching them with a strange look on his face. He almost looked… _amused?_ The button for her floor was pressed.

“’Parrently there was some kinda issue with one of the external security cameras. One kid was swearin’ up an’ down that they saw someone jump off the side, but none o’the other cameras saw anythin’. Wouldn’t happen to know anythin’ about that, would ya? Where ‘ave you two been anyway?”

If it was possible, Riven’s shoulders tensed further. Her knees began to protest as his arms clamped down on them like vices. They had gone up two floors. “I took Celeste off campus for a combined tracking and mock search and rescue training session, given that _all_ of Celeste’s practical classes are now my responsibility. It went overtime, so I thought that I might as well give her some experience with nigh navigation too.”

A sceptical eyebrow went up. “Trackin’, huh? What, did ya take ‘er through Black Mud Swamp on ya way?” He looked them both up and down. “In ya civvies?”

Another floor.

“Yeah, I did. Celeste’s more than capable of handling anything the swamp can throw at her.” There was something smug in Riven’s voice now. If she could see his face, he’d probably be smirking. “And before you object, Headmaster Saladin said that I could train Celeste however I see fit.”

Codatorta huffed out a laugh. “You’re not wrong there laddie. Girl’s got some bite to ‘er when she’s riled.” He nodded towards her leg, where red had begun bleeding through the makeshift bandage. “Best get that looked to.”

Riven’s arms relaxed on her knees. “I will.”

One more floor.

“An’ your civvies?”

A shrug. “The cape, the bright blue and white – the uniform isn’t exactly designed for subtlety, Codatorta.” Celeste ducked her head against Riven’s shoulder to stifle her slightly hysterical laughter. _I mean, he’s not wrong, but…_

“Uh huh.” Codatorta didn’t look convinced, but he let it go.

The elevator dinged as it came to a stop. The doors started to open.

“Celeste? Next time take a wind rider or somethin’ down. Don’t need ya scarin’ anymore students, or hell, _inspirin’_ them. Magic knows they get inta enough scrapes without jumpin’ off the school.” There was something knowing in Codatorta’s gaze as Riven walked past him, and Celeste blushed.

“Oh, don’t worry about sending those sophmore’s out to the swamp,” Riven tossed over his shoulder. “Celeste’s dealt with that ghoul problem for you.”

The last thing a still blushing Celeste saw was Codatorta’s face – first astonished, then proud, and finally amused, the sound of his laughter fading as the doors closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, first things first – I apologise for the late update. This chapter and the next were a bitch to try and write, I swear I rewrote it about six times and I’m still kinda iffy about it. It didn’t help that my Mircosoft Office subscription expired, so I had to wait for pay day to renew that…. But anyway, this is here now. Let me know what you think!


	5. Meeting the Squad (Worried Big Brother Part II)

The blush had barely begun to fade when Riven opened the door to her dorm to see a senior squad spread out in the common area, open books, tablets, notes and star charts scattered across the coffee table and spilling onto the floor.

Five heads looked up at the noise. “Professor Riven! And – the kid?”

One of the students, short green hair trimmed close to the skull, punched his friend in the arm. “Her name’s Celeste, pyro.”

“Sorry!” _Pyro_ drawled before looking up at her. His eyes were barely visible under his shaggy red fringe. “Is everything alright?”

Riven huffed as he set her down on the couch the furthest away from the study explosion. “Given that I’m _carrying_ her, obviously not. Can one of you stop staring and grab the first aid kit?”

Another boy, this one with white hair, scrambled to his feet. “I’ll get it sir!” He disappeared into the training room as one of his squad mates drifted closer.

“How badly injured is she?” He asked. Celeste glanced over him before returning her attention to where Riven had crouched by her leg. His hair and eyes were a light shade of brown, but his hairstyle was unusual. Closely shaved at the sides and back but left long enough on the top of his head to tie back in a bun. Strange. If he’d been at Ventus, the Headmaster would have pinned him down and shaved him bald. Headmaster didn’t like _frivolous_ hairstyles, as he said in every opening speech.

“You could _ask_ her, you know. She’s mute, not stupid,” Riven grumbled, breaking Celeste out of her musings. The white-haired student returned with the first aid kit. “Now stop hovering and leave us alone. We don’t need an audience.”

Obligingly, the squad retreated to the coffee table, but Celeste could feel them watching. Like sticks digging into her back. Heat tickling her neck. She resisted the urge to throw something at them. _Just ignore them,_ she breathed, _just ignore them._

With slow and careful snips, Riven cut away the stained bandages, peeling the now red fabric square from her wound. The leg of her jeans got the same treatment, cut away completely just above her knee. Her injury looked a lot worse in the light with blood smeared across the muscle of her calf and around her ankle. A darker red stripe curved around her leg – starting just above and beside her Achille’s tendon, it curved up and around the back of her leg, stopping in the divot that marked the connection between knee and shin. Riven used a wet cloth to clean the surrounding blood before dabbing gingerly at the actual wound. “I was right,” he said after a moment, “You’re not going to need stitches. You’ll still need to keep it bandaged, but it should heal neatly.”

When he grabbed a small bottle, he glanced up at her. “This is going to sting.” Without any further warning, Riven squirted what looked like water all over the cut, deliberately aiming for the deepest parts. Air hissed out from between her teeth as Celeste fought the urge to squirm. _That stings!_ Pink tinted water ran into her shoe.

Once he’d patted her wound dry, Riven held up a green pot. “This is going to hurt more.” With one hand, Riven grabbed her knee, and with the other he began to smear a green paste over the wound.

Celeste yelped and twisted. Her face pressed into the cushions. Riven’s hold on her knee was the only thing keeping her in place.

_IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS_

Her hands grabbed the pillow beside her just for the sake of holding something. Her other leg kicked out once, barely missing Riven, before curling up beside her on the couch. A few moments later, the burning sensation subsided. Crisp white bandages were wrapped around her leg. Celeste kept her face buried in the couch cushions just a little bit longer. Her chest felt tight. Her body felt wobbly, like jelly.

When she looked up, Riven was still sitting on the floor. “Told you it was going to hurt.”

She sent him the most venomous, unimpressed look she could muster. _Did it need to hurt_ that _much?_

He shrugged. “Don’t want you getting an infection and losing your leg, now do we?”

Celeste huffed and looked away. _Doesn’t mean it was necessary._ Headmaster’s medicines never hurt like that. They just made her skin go numb.

“Well, if you’re well enough to be giving me attitude, then you’re well enough to explain yourself.” Riven’s no-nonsense tone made her turn around. “Now, are you going to explain to me exactly _what_ happened out there? Why were you even _in_ Black Mud Swamp in the first place? How did you manage to defeat twenty odd ghouls singlehandedly, and then face a troll with minimal injuries, but not defeat a green beginner in a training bout?”

_Oh no._ Celeste glanced around helplessly. She didn’t _want_ to explain, but she _had_ to tell him something, but she couldn’t tell him _anything_ without her tablet, and getting up to grab it did _not_ sound like a good idea right now… A hand thrust a different tablet in her face. Looking up, it was _Pyro._ “You can borrow my tablet for your chat,” He offered, glancing back at an unimpressed looking Riven. “Unless you want me to go and grab yours…?”

She took it with a weak smile and shook her head. The notes page was already open to a new entry, and she quickly typed out **Thank you.**

“You’re welcome kid,” He replied, brushing his fringe to the side and revealing almost glowing green eyes. “Think of it as an apology for being rude before. And my name’s Loki.” He gave her a wink before returning to his squad, who looked away _very_ fast. Celeste blinked. She’d never seen such a long braid before. It was almost at Pyr— _Loki’s_ knees!

Turning back to Riven, who was glaring at the squad, Celeste typed, **Thank you for helping me with the troll, and for carrying me back to the school.** When she paused, Riven craned his neck to read. It looked very uncomfortable. Shuffling towards the middle of the couch, she patted the seat beside her. **It will be easier for us to talk if you sit where you can see the screen,** she added before handing the tablet to her teacher.

He read it with a blank face. “Are you sure?”

Celeste sighed and patted the couch with a bit more force. If they had to constantly wait for her to finish typing, hand over the tablet, and _then_ let him read, they’d be sitting here all night. And she _really_ wanted to get this over with. Something in her sigh – or unimpressed glare – must have answered his question, because Riven sat beside her without any further argument.

“Anyway, you don’t need to thank me,” He said once he’d gotten situation – leaning against the arm of the couch with his arms crossed – “You’re my student. Of course I’m going to help you when you’re in over your head.”

With a scowl, Celeste rapidly typed, **I had it handled! Sure, the troll was bigger than the ones I fought before, but I could deal with it! You being there just made it easier!**

Riven scoffed. “Tell yourself that all you want, but without me, you’d either be a smear on the ground or still limping back home. And don’t try to distract me! Why are you going out to Black Mud Swamp to fight monsters when there are perfectly good training dummies to fight here, in a _safe_ environment. Is that how you injured your shoulder?”

**Maybe I like fighting monsters more than fighting people.** Celeste glanced up at a flash of movement and saw the brown-haired student lean over his notes. The back of his neck was red. **And my shoulder is all healed, before you ask.**

“That was going to be my next question, so it’s good to know that you’re not _so_ stupid as to go out fighting monsters with an injury.”

**I’m not stupid!** Celeste scowled. She _wasn’t._ No matter what some people thought.

“Anyone who goes out fighting monsters half trained, without a proper weapon, is stupid. In fact, they’re _idiots._ Who the hell were your teachers? What, did they chuck you into a forest and tell you to come back in one piece?”

**I don’t have a teacher –** wait, that’s not right… Celeste backspaced and typed **I didn’t have any teachers.** There, that’s better.

That seemed to throw Riven off balance. His mouth opened and closed without any sound coming out. For a moment, she wondered if that was how she looked to others when trying to communicate without a tablet – vague, lost, _stupid._ Maybe that’s why no one tried to talk to her.

“What – how did you even – why did Saladin –”

Celeste cut Riven off with a firm tap to his arm before returning to the tablet. **I didn’t have any teachers,** she wrote again, **I taught myself how to fight.**

“I thought you came from the Ventus Academy?” Riven asked.

**I did. I was…** what was the phrase the Headmaster used that one time… **I was a special case. I wasn’t allowed to go to classes, but I watched. If I didn’t cause a fuss, make any noise or distract the students, Headmaster didn’t mind me watching the classes. Then he’d leave the training room locked so I could practise by myself later.**

“So… wait.” Riven rubbed a hand over his face. “Are you telling me that you didn’t actually _attend_ Ventus? You literally learned how to fight – learned how to fight well enough to impress _Professor Saladin and Codatorta_ – by _watching_ classes and copying them?! Is that how you started fighting monsters too? Just going out and finding a creature to beat up?! It’s a wonder you weren’t killed!”

**I looked at books and stuff too!** She defended. **Ventus has the biggest library of weapon forms, hand to hand combat, and warfare in the Magical Dimensions!** She’d spent a good year in the martial art section of the library, just absorbing concepts and stances. The only times she left was to find food. **And I was careful when fighting monsters! If they were too strong for me, I’d run away! I only broke my arm once!**

“You broke your arm?! No, don’t answer that, of course you did. I just didn’t mean –” With a groan, Riven cut himself off. “I’m not insulting your efforts Celeste – I think it’s incredible how far you’ve come without any formal training, but I don’t understand how you’re here! Saladin never mentioned any of this – I thought that you were a late enrolment to the Institute or something, not that you weren’t _actually_ a student. Why _weren’t_ you a student? You’re certainly skilled enough.”

Celeste shifted a little in her seat. She started and stopped a couple of sentences. How do you explain it? _No, I wasn’t enrolled at the Institute because girls aren’t allowed to learn how to fight?_ Riven might agree and send her home. _I don’t exist?_ That would just invite a lot of other questions that she _really_ didn’t want to answer. **Wasn’t allowed** was all she wrote.

When Riven frowned, Celeste added **But it doesn’t matter. I’m a Red Fountain student now.**

“Yeah…” Riven breathed out. “Yeah you are. And Red Fountain students don’t go off into Black Mud Swamp to fight monsters. They train _inside_ the school unless told otherwise by a teacher.” The look he fixed her with was stern. “And they certainly don’t fight _trolls_ without any backup.”

**I know, I just…** Celeste breathed out, long and almost audible. How to word this… **I wanted to feel normal –** no, not normal… **strong. I wanted to feel strong again.** There, that was better.

“Strong? Celeste, you’re not weak. Not every freshman can go off into Black Mud Swamp and come back in one piece.”

**It’s not just that.** Celeste fought the urge to hit the tablet. Some people just have no patience. **It’s complicated.**

“Then _un_ complicate it!” Riven was glaring at her now, arms crossed tight enough across his chest that she could see the veins popping through the skin.

**Then give me a chance to explain!** She practically shoved the tablet in Riven’s face. A quiet voice in the back of her head murmured something about being careful, and how _you’re overtired, take a breath and think about what you’re doing_ but she pushed it away.

“Fine. Explain.”

Oh great, he’d devolved into single word sentences.

**Fighting people makes me nervous,** Celeste started after a moment. When she paused again, Riven sighed, but he didn’t interrupt. **I know, logically, that I’m not going to hurt anyone. Helia talked to me about how armoured the uniforms are and everything yesterday, but just because my head knows, doesn’t mean that the rest of me does.** She frowned down at those last few words. **Or maybe, it’s like I can tell my body that it’s okay to fight properly, I can use my full strength and stuff, but then they go, no, remember that time you knocked the head off a training dummy, or sent a ghoul flying twenty feet into a river, or knocked over every bookshelf in the arts and literature section? And then they don’t do it.** She flexed her fingers and backspaced a little **And then _I_ can’t do it. **

“You knocked down every shelf in the library?” When Celeste looked up to glare at Riven for interrupting – _again_ – she found him with a curiously blank face and twitching lips.

**It was just one section! It’s not my fault the bases weren’t supported right! And who puts bookshelves in circles? It was like dominos! I spent _days_ cleaning it up! **Celeste shook her head. **Stop interrupting me!**

She tapped at the tablets casing for a moment before continuing. **Look, I know that I’m not going to get sent away if I accidently hurt someone, but while it’s easy enough to say it, it’s less easy to believe it, or do it. And it makes me feel weak. It makes me feel like I don’t belong here.**

There was something in Riven’s face – the way his eyebrows rose and jaw dropped that little bit – that showed Celeste that he understood. “You’d go out and fight monsters… because you knew you could beat them. Like a confidence booster.”

Celeste nodded slowly. **It felt good to actually win for once.** Then her fingers were flying. The dam had broken, and she was futilely trying to spill everything out onto the tablet.

**I know that I don’t have to win every time, I know that I won’t win every time but the other students call me weak and an idiot and you get all disappointed and then Codatorta was disappointed and I don’t want to be sent back to Ventus because it’s so much nicer here so I need to do better but it’s like I’m hitting this wall and I can’t get past it and going out and beating up ghouls makes me feel better because defeating them is kinda the point and accepted and it’s like I’m back at home and I’m proving that I can learn to fight just like the boys can and I can be as strong as them if I put my mind to it and it makes me feel better knowing that in this small area I can succeed and I know that I was breaking the rules but I just needed –**

The tablet was pulled out of her hands. Celeste’s fingers moved for a moment longer, tips numb from where they’d been hitting the screen. Riven had shifted at some point during her rant to kneel in front of her again. One hand held the tablet. The other sat on her shoulder. He was talking.

“—just calm down Celeste, it’s alright, settle down.”

She gasped in a deep breath – and when did she stop breathing again? – and clasped her fingers together in her lap. _Sorry,_ she mouthed.

“It’s alright.” Riven leaned back on his heels. “Look Celeste, I’m the last person to talk to when it comes to winning. I spent the vast majority of my school years trying to beat my squad leader in a fight. I still have a problem with losing. But it’s not a bad thing to need a bit of a confidence boost.” He put the tablet back on her lap. “This wall you mentioned? You should have said something earlier. Timmy had a similar problem when he started out – he wasn’t really one for conflict. But even if I have to remind you of it every day to get it to stick, I will. Because you’re _not going to be sent away._ Understand me Celeste?”

When she didn’t move, Riven poked her in the forehead, just like he did in their first duel. “Understand me?”

Celeste nodded. Even if she _could_ type something, she wouldn’t know what to say.

“And those other students? Forget them. You’re going to heal up, you’re going to have a couple of sparring sessions with me, and maybe with Timmy and Helia if I can convince them to help, and on Wednesday you’re going to show everyone _exactly_ why you belong at Red Fountain. You’re going to remind them of just how terrifying a woman can be.”

Forcing a smile on her face that she didn’t quite feel, Celeste typed **scared of me Riven?**

He laughed. “Seeing your face when you went after that troll? Any sane person would be _running._ You looked like you were two seconds away from gutting it, despite using a _tree branch_ instead of a proper weapon.”

The squad, who Celeste had almost forgotten was listening in, seemed to collectively choke. The brown-haired student spat water all over his notes.

Riven turned to them with a scowl. “And what’s wrong with you lot?”

“Sorry sir, it’s just… Celeste, did you seriously fight a troll with a tree branch?” The senior asked after he’d finished coughing.

Celeste nodded slowly. _Yeah…?_ She jumped when the squad burst into noise.

“Do you have a death wish?!” The green haired one looked like he was two seconds away from hitting her over the head. His hand squeezed one of the reference books.

Loki just laughed. “Damn girl, you’ve got balls of _steel!”_

“You must be insane or stupid – and I’m leaning towards _insane!”_ Another student, this one with chin length black hair, smiled at her. _He’s the one who looks insane,_ Celeste thought. “Next you’re gonna tell me you jumped off the school!”

The student next to him – the one who’d grabbed the first aid kit – rolled his eyes. “No, only you’re stupid enough to do _that_ Sirius.” He turned to face her and examined her closely. “Although, that is quite an achievement.”

The brown-haired student whacked _Sirius_ in the arm. “Don’t encourage her,” he cried, “Otherwise she’ll try to face down the dragons or something next!”

“Yes, Celeste fought a troll with an inadequate weapon, and _no,_ you’re not going to try and do it yourself,” Riven said above the noise. He abruptly turned to her, shoving a pointed finger in her face. Celeste’s eyes went crossed and blurry as she tried to focus on it. “And don’t you _dare_ take that dragon comment as a suggestion, or I’ll hang you off the school – if Codatorta doesn’t beat me to it.”

Celeste nodded rapidly. She wasn’t going to be fighting dragons any time soon, _no sir._

“Now, do you mind letting me talk to my student in peace? You can debate her stupidity another time.”

“Yes sir, sorry sir.” The squad said in unison. Celeste was half expecting them to salute. They hurried back to their papers, studiously _not_ looking her way.

**Thank you Riven,** Celeste typed once he’d turned to face her again, **for believing in me.** That wasn’t something she’d expected – Riven was known as the scariest teacher at Red Fountain for a reason. And the faith he seemed to have in her abilities… it scared her a little. _What if I can’t live up to his expectations?_

“You don’t need to thank me,” Riven said, “Just stop going off to fight monsters in the forest.”

Celeste pouted. _The school could get so stifling sometimes though…_

“At least, not until I can convince Professor Saladin to let me take you out on a real training trip. We can camp out for a few days, work on your navigation skills, go through some search and rescue procedures, do some survival training, teach you the best way to catch monsters rather than just punting them across the swamp.” Raising his voice a little and ignoring the way Celeste’s face stretched into an uncomfortably wide smile, Riven continued, “And I might as well take you lot with me. Saladin probably won’t let us go along, and you could all use the practise – fighting in the real world is different from fighting in the arena.”

Celeste bounced a little in her seat, arms wrapping around herself and squeezing. _“Thank you!”_ She mouthed. “ _Thank you thank you thank you!”_ This was great! She was going to get to go on a _sanctioned_ monster hunt! Maybe they’d let her take an _actual_ weapon with her too! She could show off a little bit – prove that she _does_ belong at Red Fountain!

A hand fell on her shoulder and squeezed. “What – what did you just say?”

_I said thank you,_ she mouthed before typing it out on the tablet. Lip reading was never perfect after all. **What did you think I –** _wait._ There had been a sound. When she – when she said ‘thank you’, she’d actually…

“You talked!” Both hands were on her shoulders now, shaken by Riven’s enthusiasm. “Say something again!”

_I don’t – I can’t –_ Air wasn’t going into her lungs. Something stuck in her throat. A beat pounded against her temples. Her arms didn’t feel comforting anymore – now they were steel bands constricting her chest and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t move them. _I’m not meant to – people aren’t meant to hear – I didn’t –_

“It’s okay Celeste, just – just calm down.” Riven ran his hands up and down her arms in jerky movements that were probably meant to be soothing. Right now, they just felt like _too much._ “Don’t push – you’re going to hurt yourself. You need to let go – relax your arms –.”

Like his words were a key in a lock, Celeste’s hands snapped away from her body. She rubbed at her face, feeling the burning heat around her eyes. Her skin was probably red and blotchy. That knot in her throat shrunk just enough for her to catch her breath. The new bruises on her sides throbbed with the rapid pace of her heart.

“It’s okay,” Riven repeated. “When was the last time you talked?”

_People aren’t meant to hear,_ she thought hysterically, _I’m not meant to exist –_ no. Stop. One breath in. Two. _You’ve been asked a question,_ she whispered to herself, _so answer it!_ **It’s been a long time,** Celeste typed with quivering fingers. **I can’t remember the last time I spoke in front of someone else.** It had been quite a long time since she’d spoken out loud to herself, too. She’d been memorising that **V** speech from the book, liking the vibrations over her lip as she whispered the monologue – _voila, in view, a humble vaudevillian veteran cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate…_

No one was meant to hear her. It _wasn’t allowed._

(Be quiet. Don’t let anyone hear you. Don’t let anyone see you. If anyone tries to catch you, run. Don’t take anytime that might be missed. If anyone but the Headmaster sees you, you’ll be _banished.)_

(And _banished_ means that you’ll never see me again.)

Riven’s voice broke her out of her thoughts. “Okay, so it’s been a long time then. Your vocal cords probably aren’t used to making noise – it’s going to take time for them to get used to it. We can work on it.” He rubbed her arm once more before letting go. “You’ll get there eventually.”

Celeste nodded without looking up from her lap. _Speaking_ wasn’t exactly the issue, it was speaking _in front of others._ But she wasn’t going to go into _that_ tonight. Her eyelids drooped without her consent. Her feet were like cement blocks. Her head was heavy, like when she’d worn Riven’s helmet.

She was _exhausted._

Tapping at the tablet once more, she wrote **I’m tired. Are we okay now?**

Riven sighed. “Yeah, we’re good Celeste. I’ll make sure Codatorta and Saladin don’t say anything about your… unauthorised field trip. Training is cancelled until your leg heals, but I’ll check in on you. If it looked better, then we can start training back up on Monday.” He waited for Celeste to nod in acknowledgement before continuing, “You need to try and keep your weight off that leg. I’ll walk you through some stretches you can do, but don’t go walking any more than you have to. I’ll have to bring you breakfast I guess… and lunch…”

The black-haired – _Sirius_ leapt up before Riven could continue. “We can help sir!”

Celeste blinked. Maybe she was more tired than she thought… was she hallucinating?

The brown-haired student stood up in support. “We’ve been meaning to spend more time with you anyway Celeste – but then there was that pop quiz in Tactics, and then we were getting back into the swing of things, and Loki was just _refusing_ to get up in the mornings –”

“Hey!” Loki objected from his sprawl on the floor. “I wasn’t the only one! _Zoro_ was taking naps _everywhere!”_

“At least I wasn’t setting fires!” The green haired one – _Zoro? –_ growled from the other side of the table.

“There’s _no proof –”_

“ ** _OI!”_**

Silence. All eyes turned to Riven. “I’m assuming you had a point to make?”

“Right.” Zoro stood up and walked closer. “Celeste, we haven’t exactly been the most welcoming given that this is your first year at Red Fountain, and we’d like to make up for it. Given that you’re going to be stuck in the dorms for the next few days, mind if we give you a hand? Sokka’s the only one who’s taken first aid classes, so he can help you with some physio exercises for your leg. Allen and Loki are the best at the theoretical stuff, so they can help you out with your other classes so you don’t fall behind. And Sirius and I can help you train when you get better – I don’t mind being a training dummy. And a few more hits around the head won’t hurt Sirius anymore – not like he has any brain cells to lose.”

“ _Hey!”_

Celeste… didn’t know what to think. They… they were offering to help? But they… she’d never spoken to them before. Despite sharing a living space, Celeste had maybe seen them maybe six times over the past five weeks. And now they wanted…

Loki slow clapped. “Way to just dump all that at her feet, blockhead.”

The white-haired student came and sat beside her, ignoring the way Riven went stiff and watchful. “Hey Celeste, how are you feeling?”

_Confused…_ She mouthed unthinkingly, before blushing. She was about to grab the tablet – _Loki’s tablet_ she remembered – when he chuckled.

“I can see that. And I can lip read, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

Fingers already halfway through her question paused.

“So, I realised that, given we’ve never had a conversation before, you probably don’t even know our names.” His smile was really pretty, Celeste thought hazily. It made his eyes squint up into little smiles too.

“Hey, _I_ was polite and introduced myself earlier!” Loki called from where he was stuck in a headlock – Zoro was unmoving despite the red-head’s struggles.

“Well, the rest of us uncultured heathens haven’t, so shut up.” Despite his less-than-polite words, the white-haired student still smiled. “Anyway, allow me to introduce Squad 3A – we call ourselves the Rebels.”

_The Rebels?_ Celeste mouthed.

“Just like my squad was known as the Specialists,” Riven interjected, “These guys have become known as the Rebels. Or Troublemakers, depending on who you ask.”

“ _Anyway,_ my name is Allen.” He held out a hand, and Celeste shook it numbly. “I’m the technology expert of the squad, so if you have any questions with that, feel free to ask me.”

He pointed at the brown-haired student, who waved from Allen’s other side. “That’s Sokka. He’s our navigator, and arguably the best tracker in Magix.”

Sokka shrugged. “Once you learn how to track a monster through the _ocean,_ tracking things on land is easy.” He gave Celeste a wide smile. “I’m from Andros, so I grew up around the water. If you’ve got any questions about navigation, or mapping, or anything like that, let me know. And I can check up on your leg tomorrow – my sister’s the real healer, but I know enough to help out.”

Sirius bounced over from where he’d been encouraging Loki as to sit on her other side. Celeste was suddenly feeling very boxed in. “I’m Sirius!” He announced with a grin that was just a _little_ crazy on the edges. “I’m a demolitions and sabotage expert, but I’m also the main long-range specialist – Sokka and Loki focus more on mid-range than anything.”

Celeste’s whole body was shaken when he grabbed her hand. “I’m from Aurais too!” His smile suddenly seemed a lot nicer. “Good on you for getting away from those stuffy arseholes!”

Looking closer, Celeste flashed back to a night in the library, and a student who’d fallen asleep on a desk, and the other student who – **You carried your friend out of the library,** she typed quickly, **every so often he’d fall asleep while studying and you’d come and get him.**

“Yeah, that was Remus.” Sirus seemed to _wilt_ for a moment before perking back up. “He’s studying to become a beast master – I think he’s on Domino at the moment, his last letter said something about dragons.”

Loki popped up over Sirius’ shoulder, and Celeste almost fell forward out of her seat. “I know I introduced myself earlier, but I’m gonna do it again. I’m Loki, and probably the most cultured out of this group of ruffians – excluding Allen of course. I specialise in Politics and History, so I can tutor you in those if you need help. Has anyone ever told you that you’re real cute? I kinda want to pick you up and put you in my pocket.”

_What?_ Celeste squeezed her hands between her knees and restrained the urge to hide – there wasn’t really anywhere for her to go. _I’ve never been called cute before…_

Riven pulled Loki away before he could say anything else, his scowl stifling any protest. “You’re smothering her. Stop.”

With an apologetic smile, Sirius got up too. She breathed a little easier. “Sorry Celeste, I’m just a bit excited. I’ve been curious about you since I saw you on the first day, but I never got around to saying hello.”

At a loss for what else to do, Celeste just waved a hand. It was okay – she hadn’t exactly said hello either.

Zoro cleared his throat from where he was standing beside Riven, and she turned around.

“My name is Zoro,” He said with crossed arms, “I’m squad leader and weapons specialist. Once you’ve gotten to that point in your training, I’d be happy to help you find _your_ weapon – the one you intend to specialise in. I’m also happy to train with you if Professor Riven agrees.”

Riven didn’t exactly look _happy_ with it, but he nodded anyway. “She could use the experience against different opponents anyway. Now, will you all leave her alone? It’s been a long night, and I want to sleep at some point.”

Glancing down at the tablet, Celeste went pale when she saw the time. _Eleven?!_ She stumbled to her feet. Riven was probably exhausted, and he obviously wanted to _leave,_ and honestly getting out of the room sounded _great_ right now, it was like the walls were closing in –

A hand slid under her shoulder and around her waist. “What part of ‘don’t put any weight on your leg’ do you _not_ understand?” Riven grumbled as he started to lead her to her room. Well, lead might have been the wrong word – he was practically _carrying_ her in one arm. Her injured leg didn’t touch the ground, and her healthy one was on tiptoes trying to stay upright. The Squad – the _Rebels,_ and why did that sound familiar – stayed over by the couch as Riven opened the one closed door.

Her room was once the dorm study space, which was why the squad had been studying in the common room. Apparently, it was safer for both her and the other students if Celeste got her own room rather than sharing with others – disregarding the fact that she wasn’t placed into a squad like every other freshman – and she was placed with the more level headed seniors rather than jealous, arguably less mature freshmen. The first time she saw it, there were single desks lining the floor to ceiling window and a couple of group desks filling the rest of the space. Now, there was a bunk bed attached to one wall with an almost empty closet beside it. Two of the single desks had been moved to the other wall, and someone really nice had put a small couch in the corner closest to the window, so she could sit there at night and just take in the view.

Riven stopped as soon as he came to the threshold, carefully staying _outside_ of her room. Codatorta had been very stern about that – “ _No one is allowed in your room unless you tell ‘em to, understand? And if you want ‘em out, then they’re gonna get out. Any issues, you come ta me.” –_ and Riven obviously had the same opinion. It was strange – she’d never really needed to keep anyone _out_ of her room before. Not that she had anyone to invite in either, but still…

She could feel the weight of Riven’s gaze between her shoulders as she limped a few steps inside before turning and leaning on the door. Deleting what she’d written, Celeste left one final message before holding the tablet out. Riven looked down at it before turning around. “Oi, Loki! Come and grab your tablet before Celeste decides to keep it!”

She kicked her teacher in the shin without thinking, both of them hissing and clutching their wounded legs in unison. _Ow._ Kicking people with a cut up leg is _not_ a good idea.

Loki was hiding a smile as he came over, and when he looked down at the message she left him, it appeared in full force. “Aww, you’re welcome kid. Allen’s gonna bring you breakfast tomorrow – so don’t go sneaking out again, alright?” His long red braid fell over her shoulder as he engulfed her in a hug. Celeste froze. She couldn’t remember ever being hugged before. Loki smelt like smoke, and something spicy that tickled her nose. After a moment, she slowly lifted her arms – or what little of her arms she _could_ lift with them being pinned to her sides – and covered Loki’s hands with her own, giving them a hesitant squeeze. He didn’t seem to mind her lacklustre attempt at hugging, just holding her tighter before being pulled away by a scowling Riven. “Feel better kid!” He called over his shoulder before walking away.

Riven leaned against the doorframe, blocking Celeste’s view of the squad. “I’m gonna chat to them about keeping an eye on you for the next few days, but I thought I’d clear it with you first. Are you okay with them helping you out? If not, I’ll tell them to shove it.”

Celeste nodded her head slowly. She wasn’t _too_ worried about it – they all seemed nice enough – and if they _weren’t,_ not even an injured leg would stop her from jumping out the nearest window.

“Was that a ‘yes, it’s okay,’, or a ‘yes, tell them to shove it’?”

She held up one finger.

“Alright.” Riven rubbed a hand over his eyes. “I’ll check in with you tomorrow – if they’re annoying you too much, or they push your boundaries or something, send me a message and I’ll straighten them out. Or I’ll send Helia to do it. He can be terrifying when he wants to be.”

Celeste nodded, before darting forward. If she didn’t do it quickly, she wouldn’t do it at all.

She didn’t exactly _hug_ Riven, because even this was pushing her limits.

(And she wasn’t entirely sure how the whole _hug_ thing worked – Loki’s attempt nonwithstanding)

Instead, she kind of pressed into the space between Riven’s chest and arm. Her head leaned against his collarbone for a spilt second, his heart’s strong beat under her cheek. One hand reached out across his body to pat his arm, while her other was just hung at her side, the back of her fingers brushing his leg. She waited there just long enough to register his warmth before darting back into her room and quickly closing the door – not slamming it, definitely not slamming it, just… closing it very quickly and very firmly.

Leaning against the sturdy door with wobbling legs, Celeste listened for her name, or a knock, anything that might imply that Riven was upset with her – with her _not hug._ When there was nothing but comforting silence, she relaxed.

Big mistake.

Her legs refused to hold her up any longer. Celeste tumbled to the ground, sprawling across the carpet with a silent huff. She glanced at her bed – only a metre or so away, sheets rumpled from where she’d woken up at morning – and then at the much further away couch. The bed was closer… but the couch had the better view.

Couch it was.

With an awkward, half-crawl half-hobble, Celeste dragged herself over to the couch, climbing up onto the plush surface with a sigh. A deep blue blanket – her favourite colour – was hung over one arm, and she pulled it over her shoulders before looking out the window. The clouds from earlier had cleared, revealing a gleaming expanse of stars scattered across the skyline. She had never seen them so clearly before coming to Red Fountain. The Institute was hidden so deeply within the mountains that even the sun struggled to make an appearance. For years, Celeste had comforted herself with star charts and paintings, tracing the shimmery dots and lines with reverent fingers. They had always fascinated her – her earliest memories were of drawing constellations onto the walls of her tower room with stubby fingers, carefully copying the formations she found in books she couldn’t read.

_“Lynx,”_ she whispered in a hoarse voice, tracing the zigzagging line with her eyes. “ _S-Scorpius. Eri-Eridan-Eridanus. Cygnus. Corvus. Corrrvvus.”_ The drawn-out R and V felt nice, vibrating over her lips and tongue. “ _Vvvvela. Vvvvulpecula. Taaauuurus. Aaaarrries.”_

Her voice became quieter and quieter, until it was little more than a vibration in her throat. She could still talk. _She could still talk._

The stars became blurry as her tears, which she had choked down earlier, returned with a vengeance.

“ _Libra. Pegasus. An-Andromeda. Arui-iga. Ca-ca-cassio-opeia. Ara.”_

*************

Riven blinked at the now shut door. His mind was blank. The last few moments repeated over and over behind his eyes – Celeste leaning into him, the sudden warmth against his arm and side, the pressure of her head against his chest, the hesitant tap of her hand.

_Was she… did she try to… did Celeste just… hug me?_

A sound snapped him out of his reverie, and he spun to see Sirius rubbing his shoulder dramatically while Loki rolled his eyes.

Ah yes. Celeste’s… dormmates. Grudgingly, Riven agreed that Saladin couldn’t have picked a better squad for the girl to room with. The other senior squad were _fucking idiots,_ to put it lightly. At least the Rebels – or as Codatorta liked to call them, ‘those wild ones’ – could be trusted to not drive the girl to murder. At least, not accidently. For all that they’ve got a reputation for rule breaking, they could be trusted to share space with a teenage girl, unlike some other students Riven could name.

They were all looking at him now. Despite being visibly nervous – careful calm and careful nonchalance, stern expressions, _at attention_ stances – the squad all met his eyes. Zoro stepped forward. “Sir, did Celeste agree to letting us help her?”

“She did,” Riven replied slowly. Sirius and Sokka bumped fists behind Allen’s back, who then proceeded to slap them across the back of the head. “But I have some ground rules for you.”

“Of course.” Zoro nodded. “We’ve already agreed to stay out of her bedroom unless it’s an emergency or Celeste explicitly asks us to come in for a reason – Professor Codatorta was _very_ firm about that rule – and we’re going to take it in turns to bring her meals until she’s able to walk down to the dining hall.”

Riven nodded. “That’s a good start. If I found out that you’re not _leaving_ Celeste’s room when she tells you to, it won’t be _Codatorta_ you’ll have to worry about.” He took a moment to revel in the fear that made the squad stiffen before continuing, “But I also expect you to respect Celeste’s personal space. You are _not_ to make her uncomfortable. That being said, if she isn’t taking it easy or staying off her leg, then you are to contact me.”

“Understood sir.” Zoro turned to glare at Sirius. “I’ll make sure Celeste has a _calm_ recovery.”

Sirius held up his hands. “I swear, no experimentation in the dorms until Celeste gives the okay!”

Rubbing a hand over his face, Riven groans, “No experimentation anywhere I can hear – I want plausible deniability.”

“Of course sir,” Allen says, “No rule breaking where you can see it.”

“Now _that_ would be a miracle,” Riven fixes the squad with a glare. “One last question: Why are you doing this?”

There was silence for a moment, as the Rebels glance between each other and the floor.

“She’s alone,” Loki pipes up. “I’ve seen her around the school a few times, and she’s never with anyone. I don’t think I’ve even seen her eat with anyone except for with you earlier today.”

“She doesn’t have a squad,” Zoro adds. “We’ve all got that support base, but Celeste doesn’t have anyone. While she can’t _officially_ become part of our squad, doesn’t mean we can’t treat her like she is.”

“We should have done it earlier, but we all got distracted,” Sokka says quietly. He meets Riven’s eyes unwaveringly. “Celeste didn’t say anything, but we should have.” He grinned a little. “She reminds me a bit of my sister – won’t let anything keep her down or out of the fight.”

Allen snorted. “I think her and Lenalee would get along great – probably encourage each other to jump off higher buildings.”

Riven shuddered, an action that Sirius didn’t miss. “She jumped off the school.” Sirius’ face was slowly widening into a gleeful smile. “You did the same thing Komui did when Lenalee jumped off that tower on Zenith when she was testing her flight shoes.”

Suddenly Riven wasn’t the only one shuddering. “That was terrifying.” Allen looked pale. “Komui refused to let Lenalee out of his sight for the rest of the break.” Riven was pretty sure he knew who _Komui_ was – one of the more eclectic engineers who called Zenith home – and Allen’s adopted brother. He put the _complex_ into _sister-complex._

“I’m surprised you’re letting Celeste out of your sight,” Loki remarked, “If she really did jump off the school.”

“I _suspect_ that Celeste jumped off the school. She may have been caught on camera, but there is no proof.” At least, Riven didn’t _think_ there was any proof. “But we’ve gotten side-tracked.”

The Rebels sobered. “We’re doing this because Celeste is one of us,” Zoro stands taller. “So as long as Celeste needs us, we’re gonna be there. Not just to make up for not talking to her earlier, but because we – I – want to get to know her better. Not any girl can get into Red Fountain after all.”

“You don’t have to worry about her too much,” Loki added in a low tone so different from his normal mischievous attitude. “From the sound of things, that kid’s been through a lot. We’ll take care of her professor. She’s safe with us.”

And funnily enough, Riven believed them. “Alright. Remember, message me if there are any issues. Get to your classes, but if you’re able to spare any time to make sure Celeste doesn’t go stir crazy…”

Sokka nodded. “We will sir.”

Riven nodded and walked out of the dorm, waving a hand over his shoulder. “Then go to bed. I’m not making any excuses for you if you’re late to class.”

He was more than ready to fall onto his bed and sleep for a _week_ when Riven was accosted in the hall.

“What is this about you taking your barely-trained apprentice out ghoul hunting Riven?” Professor Saladin did _not_ sound impressed.

**************

_The circle was almost complete. Only two or three more stones would be needed. In the centre of the ring, a large pyre had been created. Her hands (too big to be her hands, with long skinny fingers) swayed at her side as she headed into the shadowy forest._

_Something seemed to be moving in the trees, a shadow against a deeper shade of black. She caught a glimpse of a sinuous tail, heard the crunch of dead leaves under a heavy weight. Her smile (too sharp teeth digging into a lip that tasted like ash) stretched across her cheeks._

_“Perfect.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes  
> Tada! Here lies chapter 5 of Aurix!! I apologise for the lateness – Life has been…. Interesting, to say the least. But this is here, and I really do hope people enjoyed it. The Rebels are a squad of my own invention, if that wasn’t obvious, and features some of my favourite anime/cartoon/book characters. You don’t need to know them to understand, so don’t worry about not knowing them. For your reference, here’s the full name of each character and their assosicated series:  
> Rorona Zoro: One Piece  
> Sokka: Avatar, the Last Airbender  
> Allen Walker: D. Gray-Man  
> Sirius Black: Harry Potter  
> Loki: Kamigami No Asobi  
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed meeting Celeste’s new big brothers, and learning more about Celeste herself. Also, gotta love protective Riven. ^u^. Come scream at me on Tumblr!
> 
> PS: Don't forget to check out the Prequel story I posted!


	6. Of Success (And Losses)

The silence in the arena was deafening.

Celeste walked over to her opponent with a confidence and ease she didn’t truly feel. The prickling feeling at the back of her neck reminded her that Riven was watching. As she came closer to Codatorta, bright red and deep green and blinding white hovered in the corner of her vision. The Rebels had shown up – they said that they wouldn’t get in trouble for skipping, but she hadn’t gotten her hopes up. She could hear Sirius, Loki and Sokka chanting her name, and a blush spread across her cheeks. They were a lot _more_ than she was used to.

Professor Codatorta had seen them too. He glared in their direction and huffed as Sirius waved. “Seems we’ll be puttin’ on a show for the seniors,” he remarked quietly.

Her opponent smirked from Codatorta’s other side. It was his squad mate who had defeated her last week, and he was obviously expecting a similar result. “Wonderful. More people to watch me grind you into the dirt.”

“I want a nice, _clean_ fight,” Professor Codatorta reminded him with a raised brow, before turning to look at her. “So don’t go knockin’ anyone’s head off today.”

They both nodded.

“Alright. Last fight of the session. Freshman Richard of Squad 1B against Freshman Apprentice Celeste. Fighters ready? Begin!”

At his shout, Celeste took a step back and fell into a defensive crouch, _bokken_ at the ready. She locked eyes with her opponent…

Who was laughing at her.

“Let’s not finish this too quickly,” he chuckled, “We’ve got an _audience_ after all!”

He held his _bokken_ loosely in one hand before patting his side with the other. “Here, I’ll give you a free shot, _baby._ Maybe you can leave a mark.”

Celeste could practically _sense_ Riven’s fury. She heard a yell and caught the flash of green as Zoro tried to stand, only to be held down by Allen. Good. She didn’t want to be distracted from _this._

_This_ being the most self-centred, egotistical, misogynistic _bastard_ she’s had the displeasure of meeting. That firework coldness built up in her chest, but instead of going down through her arm, it travelled up her spine to sit behind her eyes. She smiled. Gave a mocking bow, as if to say thank you. And swung with all her strength at Richard’s unprotected side.

_If he’s going to give me the opening, might as well **use it.**_

At the last second, she withdrew a little. She didn’t want to seriously injure him, no matter how rude. There was still enough force to make an audible _crunch_ when _bokken_ and ribs collided.

Richard’s face went white. He took a slow, wheezing breath out. His free hand shook. He collapsed to his knees. There was a long silence before he breathed back in. The Rebels were cheering.

“Freshman, whadaya think you’re doin’?” Professor Codatorta had his arms crossed at the sidelines. Though his face was stern, the twitching of his moustache gave his mirth away. “You’re meant ta be puttin’ on a show!”

Richard scowled and struggled to his feet, one hand supporting his ribs. Celeste blinked innocently and held her _bokken_ at the ready. That pressure still lingered behind her eyes. _Liking that **mark** Richard? _Despite the protection of the suit, she could tell by the way he held himself that she’d definitely _bruised_ his ribs, if not cracked one. There was a tinge of sympathy for him in the back of her mind, a momentary shudder of _ohgodsIhurthimIhurtsomeoneI’mgonnagetintroubleI’mgonnabesentawayI **hurt** someone _but she brushed it aside. The time for that was later, after the fight, not now. Like Riven said – with copious amounts of support from the Rebels and surprisingly Helia – she only needs to worry about herself during the match. Everything else comes after.

A smile flickered across her face. _Call me ‘baby’ like that again. I dare you._

She could see the moment Richard pushed aside the pain and decided to go on, trying to rush her with an overhead strike. Celeste angled her _bokken_ into a guard that let the attack slide off to the side as she stepped in the opposite direction sticking out her foot to trip him as he overbalanced from the lack of resistance. He obviously wasn’t used to her more evasive fighting style – most men, no matter the skill level, tended to have the strength and body mass to _take_ strikes, rather than avoid them.

To Richard’s credit, he recovered quickly and spun to strike at her off side. Celeste parried, ignoring the way the blow made her entire body shudder, and slid to the side again, this time flicking her _bokken_ at the tip of his sword to send his next blow up and over her head harmlessly. Darting in, she tapped at the back of his knee. It buckled just enough for her to slide around his next desperate strike. She swung hard at his stomach, but he dropped his hit knee and swiped at her ankles. As Celeste fell backwards, she threw herself into a back handspring that made her mostly healed wound twinge. Scrambling backwards to get some distance, Celeste couldn’t help but smile. _This_ is what she wanted. Not a victory handed to her – but a victory to fight for.

When Richard stepped forward to strike at her again, she spun to the side, twisting on her heel to build up her momentum and send his sword arm up with a two handed strike. Continuing her spin, standing in his space, Celeste struck back with her elbow – she smiled at his startled inhale. Richard kicked out, catching the back of Celeste’s knee and sending her down with a grunt, but she was quick to roll out of his range. As she got to her knees, one hand on her _bokken_ , Richard swung down for a powerful overhead hit.

Celeste didn’t think – she reacted.

One hand held her sword by the hilt. The other, protected by her glove, held the sword at the tip. Richard’s blade hit the centre of hers with a _clang._ Her arms shook at the strain but held firm. There was a moment of stillness – Richard’s eyes were wide and his jaw dropped. Celeste sent him a wink (in the stands, Zoro closed his eyes and swore softly. Loki was rubbing off on her). With one twist, Celeste sent Richard’s blade sliding down toward the hilt of hers. With another, she trapped the blade between hilt and cross guard, flipping the _bokken_ out of reach. Still holding her weapon by the tip, Celeste spun forward on her knees, twirling the _bokken_ once to fix her grip, and slammed the hilt into Richard’s stomach.

The force of her hit made Richard fold down over the blade.

Somersaulting backwards out of the way and onto her feet, Celeste watched as he collapsed to his knees for the second time.

He coughed. “ _Yield._ I yield.”

Professor Codatorta stepped forward with a clap. “Winner – Freshman Apprentice Celeste!”

_“Whoooooooo!”_

That was all the warning Celeste got before a red-haired bullet slammed into her. Arms wrapped around her waist. Suddenly, her feet weren’t touching the ground. She let out a shocked laugh as she was spun in a circle.

“You did it kid!” Loki squeezed her once more before Zoro plucked Celeste out of his arms.

“Let her breath pyro – she can’t exactly celebrate her win if you suffocate her!”

Allen caught her as she was tossed aside in favour of a brawl, stumbling from the sudden lack of support. “Well done Celeste!”

Her cheeks were hurting from how widely she was smiling. _I won!_

Two hands thumped against her back, and she looked up to see both Sirius and Sokka grinning down at her.

“Told ya you could do it!” Sirius said before groaning and rubbing the back of his head. “Good to know all those concussions I got were worth it!”

Sokka rolled his eyes. “Stop complaining. You could use a couple of good hits – might knock those brain cells down from wherever they’re hiding!”

Allen, ever the calm one, pulled Celeste towards the arena entrance. “Ignore them – they really are proud of you.” He gave her a quick hug before backing off. “I should get us all back to class before they _really_ miss us, but we’ll talk to you more at lunch!” With a final wave, Allen jogged away.

A tap at her shoulder made her jump, and Celeste turned to see a smirking Riven.

“Look at what happens once you get out of your head,” he said with raised eyebrows. “Believe me now when I say that you’re not gonna be sent away?”

Celeste rolled her eyes even as she nodded. _Yes,_ she believed him. He’d only said it _every single time_ she hesitated during training over the last few days.

He cuffed her over the head before he began to lead her towards the dorms. “Don’t give me attitude. You were lucky that Richard has all the forward planning and grace of a rampaging bull, but don’t expect your next opponent to do the same. You’ve shocked them all now – they’ll be prepared. I’ve got to go to Codatorta to get your battle analysis, so I’ll meet you in the training room for the afternoon session. Until then, I believe you’ve got Politics homework.”

Riven, the cruel bastard, laughed even as Celeste scowled. Trying to memorise a hundred years’ worth of treaties was _not_ what she wanted to do after a successful match.

“The sooner it’s done, the sooner you don’t have to deal with it.” After that _helpful_ advice, Riven walked away to where she could see Professor Codatorta waiting. Huffing, Celeste headed towards the doors. At least she didn’t have to get started on her homework _straight_ away. She could sit in the library for a little bit before picking up the books she needed.

Then she saw Squad 1B waiting in the courtyard just in front of the library entrance. Her opponent from last week, a rather tall boy called Celebrum, looked up and nudged the student closest to him. One by one they all met her eyes. They all had matching smiles. None of them looked friendly.

Celeste darted for the open space to her left, sprinting towards one of the outer courtyards. Behind her she could hear the first footsteps of pursuit. A light projectile flashed by her face. When it collided with a wall, it released a flash that left her blinking. Dark spots still obscured her vision as she sprinted through the trees as fast as she dared. If she could just get around the courtyard and under the cover of the outer corridor, she might be able to hide long enough to lose them… Her knee twinged from Richard’s hit earlier and she scowled.

“C’mon _baby!_ We just wanna play a game!”

“We’ll be nice _baby,_ we promise!”

Obviously, Richards’ squad mates had picked up on his nickname. As she spun around a tree, Celeste risked a glance back. Four students were chasing her – Celebrum with some kind of gun, a black-haired boy she vaguely remembered from Ventus with a large compound bow, and two other students she hadn’t really interacted with. One of them pulled out something that looked like a slingshot, about the length of his arm.

Celeste tripped over a root – the subsequent stumble was enough to send her into the path of another projectile. The light arrow slammed into her shoulder with enough force to bruise her under the uniform. She turned the force into a forward roll to keep the momentum, narrowly dodging another two shots. One of these hit the ground, sending up clods of dirt that stung her eyes.

_Almost there!_

The corridor she wanted was just ahead. Over the past weeks, Celeste had explored every inch of the campus. She knew that there was a small gap –not much bigger than her – where some of the wall panels in a corner hadn’t been secured properly. If she could disrupt their line of sight for just a moment…

She saw it. A squad of students – probably sophomores – was walking down the corridor. Celeste swung around the corner and straight into the middle of them. There were shouts. An elbow caught her in the head and for a moment she saw stars (not the good kind). Someone had _very_ big feet, because her entire foot managed to get squashed beneath it. A cape whipped over her head. She body slammed someone else and almost fell over. Slipping around another student, she managed to slide into the gap.

_Please don’t see me, please don’t see me…_ Celeste squeezed her eyes shut and focused. She didn’t know how this worked, only that it did. Something cold dripped over her head, sliding down her arms and chest, making her shiver. It reached her toes, and she had to resist the urge to move. It was like the opposite of that firework coldness – rather than being the firework before explosion, it was the sky afterwards, all afterimages and darkness. Opening her eyes and looking down, the shadows seemed deeper.

Celebrum ran straight past her. The bow-wielding student was fast on his heels. The other two students followed a moment later. All she could hear was the fading sound of footsteps and the disgruntled mumbling of the poor squad she’d run into. Relaxing her hold on that coldness and suddenly feeling warmer, Celeste stepped out of the gap. _Now if I can just get on_ top _of the corridor…_

“Well, well, well. Baby’s good at hiding.”

Her stomach dropped to her ankles. The slingshot student was leaning against a pole. He smirked at her, weapon at the ready. “Now this is what I call target practise.”

He was too close for her to run around. He’d hit her in a moment. As the projectile left the cup, Celeste instinctively dropped and rolled, pressing her hands and shoulders into the ground before planting her feet in the other student’s stomach.

His face went white. His feet lifted off the ground. His slingshot clattered next to her face. Celeste was quick to swivel her legs to one side as he began to fold, dumping him onto the concrete before scrambling to her feet and running. Footsteps behind made her look back, and an arrow sliced her cheek. The shock made her tumble, and she was on the ground again.

_Need to move need to move need to move need to move –_ Another arrow caught her cape. A second hit her in the forearm she raised to protect her head.

“Looks like we’ve caught us a _baby!”_ Celebrum laughed with gun at the ready. “Or maybe it’s a _bug,_ scramblin’ on the ground like that.” He shot her in the thigh at close range. The flash blinded her. Her stomach began to roll. Her leg cramped.

“Hmmm. Thought she’d be able to run faster than that.” The fourth student crouched beside her and began to poke. Something solid jabbed her in the ribs and thigh before Celeste had enough.

She rolled directly into his crouched legs, feeling him fall over her, and hit her cape clasp in the same movement. Grabbing the ends, Celeste quickly flung it over his head and pulled him in front of her like a shield, supressing a wince as an arrow hit him in the chest. Pushing him forward into Celebrum, who was still standing too close, Celeste scrambled to her feet.

Another arrow barely missed her foot and she was off, trying desperately not to limp. _Now **both** of my legs are screwed. _There was another door further down the corridor – it led towards the dining hall, but from there she could try and catch the elevator, or failing that, the stairs. Her hand just brushed the handle before a shot impacted with her spine, sending her to the ground with a strangled scream.

Her lungs wouldn’t expand. Celeste flopped a little on the ground before something else hit her in the side, shocking her chest into movement. Her head hurt even more. Something red was smeared across the concrete, and she gazed at it hazily. _Red… red isn’t good…_

“Little baby thought she was going to get away, huh?”

Gazing up, Celeste could see Celebrum with a sneer, something red running down his nose and over his lip. Behind him was the fourth student, holding her cape in a twist between both hands. _The bow-student and sling-shot student were probably here too,_ Celeste thought sluggishly. _Just wish my eyes would work properly so I could see…_

“What should we do with the baby now?”

“Maybe we’ll show her why _babies_ aren’t allowed at Red Fountain!”

“Should we leave a piece for Richard?”

“ _Maybe,”_ snarled a voice from behind, “ _You should step away from Celeste while you still have legs to do it with.”_

Celeste let herself slump against the ground. “ _Riven’s here…”_ she sighed. _I’m okay now…_

*************

Riven hadn’t felt such burning rage in _months,_ if not _years._ He saw the blood under Celeste’s head, and he went cold. Head wounds were _dangerous._

The four students stared at him with such terrified faces that if it were any other situation, he’d be amused. One of them – the student who’d beaten Celeste last week – swallowed. “P-p-professor Riven, sir,” He started, before his mouth just began opening and closing without a sound.

“ _What,”_ Riven hissed, “Do you think you are doing to my student?”

“I would like to know that as well,” came a smooth voice from behind. Professor Saladin stepped up beside him, hands clasped.

“We – we were playing a game,” Another student started. Riven glared. His name was Harrier, a _promising_ student from Ventus. A compound bow hung loosely in his hand. “It – it just got out of hand a – a little. We didn’t mean –”

“I know _exactly_ what you meant.” Riven took a step forward and something dark in his chest revelled in the way they all stumbled back. Until one of them stepped on Celeste’s arm. “ _Get away from her!”_

Riven didn’t wait for them to move, instead bodily shoving past to kneel beside his student. She was pale and limp – when he touched her shoulder, she didn’t move. “Celeste?” His voice was quiet. After a single, heart stopping moment, the girl made some kind of noise. He didn’t hear it, but he felt the vibration where his thumb was touching her neck. She shifted a little, hand sliding up towards her head. Riven was quick to stop her.

“You’re bleeding. Just stay still.”

“Riven,” Saladin said over his shoulder, “Take your student to the infirmary. I shall have Codatorta deal with Squad 1B.”

“As long as I get to supervise their _punishment.”_ One of the students squeaked. There was the sound of rapid footsteps moving away, but he ignored it. Celeste was priority at the moment.

Slowly, carefully, Riven slid a hand under Celeste’s shoulders. Her head hung limply as he lifted before it rolled back to lean against his shoulder. Hazy purple eyes opened. Her mouth moved – it looked kinda like his name – before she tried to get her feet under her.

“Stay still,” Riven said as he moved his other arm around her waist.

Of course, the contrary girl didn’t listen and still tried to support herself, one hand slapping lightly at his.

“If I let go, you’re going to fall over.” He was able to stand with her mostly supported. “Can you put your arms around my neck?”

Celeste looked up at him for a long second. Her eyes weren’t any clearer. She went to nod, before her eyes bulged and she leaned sideways. Vomit barely missed his shoes and splattered the dining hall door.

“Yeah, you have a concussion,” Riven remarked once Celeste was only dry heaving. “C’mon, around my neck.” It took a bit of manoeuvring, but he soon got her supported largely against his chest, making it easier for him to lean down and catch her legs in the crook of one arm. Ignoring the pool of blood and sick – Saladin would send someone to clean it soon – Riven headed straight to the infirmary.

On the way, he saw Helia. His normally mild-tempered team member looked almost murderous. “What happened.” It wasn’t a question but a demand.

“One of the Freshmen squads. Celeste beat one of their leader in the arena today, and they decided to get even.” Riven ground out, not stopping. “I’m pretty sure she’s got a concussion, and who knows what kinds of other injuries.”

A tanned brown hand rested on Celeste’s leg and Riven jolted. A moan left the girl, and he winced. Looking up, he met hazel green eyes he hadn’t noticed before.

_Flora._

The kind girl looked close to tears. “Who would do this?” She ran a soothing hand along Celeste’s hair, glowing bright green with magic. The girl sunk deeper into his arms, a small smile coming to her face. Her limbs went completely limp in his grip and Riven held her tighter.

The brunette stepped away. “That’s all I can do for her here. She’ll sleep without pain for a few hours, and it will lessen the chances of her falling into a coma. Your nurses should have her fixed up by then.”

“Thank you,” Riven said with a nod. When he walked into the elevator, Flora and Helia followed.

In the infirmary, the two nurses on duty clucked over Celeste’s unconscious form, directing Riven to put her onto a bed before shooing him out. “We need to get the poor girl out of her uniform so we can inspect the damage, and that’s not going to happen with you two still in here!”

Flora rested a hand on Helia’s arm. “I’m going to stay and give them a hand – would you mind bringing me my sachel? It has some potions that I think would help.”

After giving his assent, and gaining permission from the nurses, Riven and Helia were firmly ejected from the room. Outside, Helia was looking less murderous and more sad. “Flora had a couple of free days,” he began, “And I thought that she and Celeste would get along really well. I didn’t expect them to meet like this…”

Riven grunted before turning around.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to find out what Codatorta has planned for those _shits_ and then I’m going to come back and wait.” Riven stormed down the hall. _How could I let this happen?!_

He had felt something wrong when he’d left Celeste at the arena. Squad 1B had already left – hadn’t even waited for their injured teammate, which was unusual. But he’d just brushed it off as team antics and being disappointed in their leader for losing to a girl. Turns out it _had_ been disappointment, but a dangerous, _vengeful_ kind.

Codatorta had been joined by Saladin, and that had thrown any thoughts about upset students out of his head.

“Celeste made an admirable showing Riven. You should be proud.”

Riven had crossed his arms with a huff. “She’s a decent fighter, when she gets out of her head.”

At the two professors questioning looks, he had explained, “Celeste worries about hurting her opponent, which was part of the reason she lost last time. Helia and the Rebels helped me knock some sense into her.” It had involved demonstrations of the suits defensive abilities with Sirius offering himself up as a practise dummy and Zoro being all too pleased to have an excuse to hit his most chaotic squad mate. Helia had been better at calming the girl down after she knocked Sirius’ breath out of him, much to Riven’s chagrin. 

“Looks like you’ve been doin’ somethin’ right.” Codatorta had remarked. “She’s quick on ‘er feet.”

“Timmy’s new toy can be _very_ useful.” 

Codatorta had chuckled. “I can imagine. Now, Celeste did very well, considerin’ what happened last week. You might wanna see about trainin’ ‘er with a staff occasionally, but also try ta train that last little trick she used out of ‘er. If that happens in a proper fight with a real weapon, she’ll cut up her hands. You’ve got ‘er focusing on divertin’ strikes, which is good, but see if ya can’t beef her up a lil’. She gave Richard a decent hit on that first strike, but if she had a bit more strength behind it, he wouldn’t be gettin’ up.”

Riven had sighed deeply. “I’m pretty sure she pulled that blow a little.”

“Which I take it you’re workin’ on. Another thing to try is seein’ about a more flexible fightin’ style. That handspring move was good, but she needs to work on her landin’s. Look inta _capoeira._ It’s a dancy kinda hand-ta-hand fightin’ style, but I’m sure you and the girl can develop it inta something she can use with a weapon. An’ I was serious about that staff. I’ll have a trainin’ naginata sent up from the guard’s trainin’ room and see what she thinks o’ that.”

Riven had thought it over, even as he walked with Saladin towards the dining hall for an early shot at lunch. He had considered training Celeste in two handed weapons before, but more in the sense of dual swords or daggers. A naginata might traditionally have the one blade on a pole of similar length, but a _dual_ naginata that could _separate_ might work even better…

He had been discussing the logistics of training Celeste in specialised weaponry with Saladin when he saw it. Or, more correctly, heard it.

“… bunch of freshmen, running around like they own the place…”

“Yeah, but did you see that short one? With the black hair? I swear I wasn’t that small when I started.”

“Pretty sure that was the girl – y’know, Professor Riven’s apprentice?”

“Poor girl… no wonder she was running like he was chasing her…”

The sophomores had frozen when they saw him. Saladin chuckled.

“Professor Riven! Headmaster Saladin, sir, we – we didn’t mean anything by it sir – sirs. Just that – you can be very terrifying sir, if I can say so – in the most respectful way – you’re a terror in the classroom – I mean on the battlefield –”

Riven had just waved them off and kept going. Maybe he should have asked more questions, maybe he would have found them faster. Instead, he was met with the sight of his student, bleeding on the ground as four other students stood over her.

The things they were saying… even thinking about it made his blood boil.

Saladin had taken the squad to Codatorta’s office just off the arena, and he could hear the older man yelling as he approached.

“… what kinda lily-livered, dark-dimension dwellin’ _slime_ go attackin’ a fellow student fer _beatin’_ their leader in a _practise match!?_ Yer all Red Fountain students – which means _unity,_ an’ _teamwork,_ an’ _not shootin’ someone when their back is turned!_ Ya gave the kid a _concussion!_ Head wounds are _dangerous!_ If she don’t wake up, _you_ won’t be wakin’ up tomorrow! The only thing more hated than witches ‘round ‘ere are _traitors,_ an’ that’s what you lot are at the moment – the wors’ kind a _traitors._ Traitors to ya _school,_ to ya _team,_ to ya _fellow students.”_

Codatorta paused for a breath when he saw Riven.

“Ah, Professor Riven. Saladin tol’ me that you wanted ta supervise their detentions.”

The four students had been pale faced and numb before he walked in, but now they looked like they were going to faint.

“I do. After all,” and here he gave them the thinnest, most terrifying smile he could, “They harmed _my apprentice._ If we were going by the old laws, it would be my right to give them _identical wounds_ as recompense for their actions against my student, and thus against me.”

“Good thin’ we don’t follow those laws anymore, ey slime?” This prompted a round of nods that made them look like bobble heads. Riven supressed the urge to bat on of them and see if they’d keep bouncing.

“Well, Squad 1B – minus yer leader, depending on what he says to me later – will be reportin’ to the dragon stables for dung duty two hours before curfew fer the next month. Don’ be late, otherwise I’ll add another week onta yer punishment.”

Another round of nods.

“Now _git!”_

The students ran out of the room with impressive speed. In the corner of his eye, Riven could see a student he recognised as one of the more skilled sophomore students walking oh-so-casually away from the office – he wouldn’t be surprised if the whole school knew about the cowardly attack on one of their own before the afternoon session. And god help the freshmen when the Rebels caught up to them. They had practically _adopted_ the girl as an honorary member of their squad and weren’t going to react well when they found out about the attack. 

Codatorta must have had the same idea because he gave Riven a grin that unpleasantly reminded him of his first year and that one – and only – attempt to bully another student. He quickly learned what kind of bad idea _that_ was.

“There’s always one student – or one squad – that like ta push things every year.” Codatorta said as he leaned back in his chair. “Unfortunate that it was yer student who felt the brunt of it.”

“Yeah.”

When Riven didn’t say anything more, Codatorta looked at him with concern. “How is she laddie?”

“Not sure. Came here as soon as I dropped her off at the infirmary. Flora’s with her,” he added as an afterthought, “She did some magic so that Celeste wouldn’t wake up or be in pain.

“Tha’s good. She’s a fighter, Riven. She’ll bounce back from this.”

“She shouldn’t have to.” His hands clenched. His knuckled turned white from the force.

“No, she shouldn’t. But she did. An’ yer gonna have to be there for ‘er while she recovers. So whataya still doin’ here?”

Riven was out of the room before he realised he was moving.

**********

_There was something draped over the pyre. The circle was complete, and her voice (but not her voice) was chanting something in a language she didn’t recognise. The pyre flared up without any kind of assistance. Black smoke drifted into the sky, a shade of dusty black against the abyss of space. The thing – all long tail and thin spines and compact body – fell into the centre of the pyre even as fire as white as the moon hid it from sight._

_Her fingers (skinny – not hers not hers) stroked a page that crumbled and cracked even under the light touch._

_“It’s opening.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!  
> So here we have some more action!! I have to say, the first fight scene was heavily inspired by something I read online that I thought fit Celeste to a T. I do hope you enjoyed seeing a bit more of badass-Celeste and protective Riven. The 1B squad are arseholes, I know, but every school has them.   
> Also, FLORA!! I wasn’t planning on introducing her and Celeste at this point, but she kinda appeared and I couldn’t say no…. I really, really love Flora. Beautiful inside and out….. sigh. She helped me realise when I was younger that, yes, women can also be extremely attractive. I really want Flora cuddles….  
> ANYWAY! To the guest named Froggle, I really wish you would get an account so I could message you in response to your awesome reviews, but I’m gonna have to live with responding on here. I actually updated the last chapter with a response to your review, so check it out ^u^  
> To all my other reviews, followers, favouriters, kudos’ers and assorted other readers, thank you. I’m so happy that other people seem to be enjoying this as much as I enjoy writing it.   
> Love you all   
> PS: I am very, very sorry about how late this is to update – I was moving house, and then I was helping my siblings move house, and then more shit came up…. I shall try to update again soon ^u^

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! Here lies the updated, hopefully better version of my previous Winx fic that I posted on Fanfiction.Net, Celestial Winds! To those who read CW, thank you for taking a chance on this one! To my new fans, welcome!
> 
> This WILL NOT BE RIVENXCELESTE. There will be a brother/sister relationship between them. MusaxRiven is endgame!
> 
> Kudos to those who notice my little nods to other fandoms ^u^ and come scream at me on Tumblr @Celebrimbor97.  
> This will hopefully be updated every week or two, so see you soon!


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